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Time - Man of the Year
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1992-09-23
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FROM THE PUBLISHER, Page 23
Senior writer Martha Duffy has had her share of reluctant
interview subjects. Saul Bellow was grouchy; Robert Penn Warren
was shy. This week's Profile subject -- Irish President Mary
Robinson -- was a different kind of challenge for Duffy, who
usually writes about artists and their craft. "Robinson was more
guarded than, say, a fashion designer or a choreographer," says
Duffy. "At times it was a little puzzling since she has a
marvelous record of accomplishment."
So does Duffy. When she joined TIME in 1960 as a
researcher, institutional tradition suggested that her climb up
the editorial ladder would stop there. But later she became a
writer, concentrating primarily on cultural subjects and book
reviews, and in 1974 was among the first women to be named a
senior editor. Over the next 15 years, she applied her
formidable insights and delicate editing touches to the cultural
sections of the magazine, all the while quietly carving a path
for other women to follow. Three years ago, Duffy decided that
she wanted to return to her first love, writing. Since then, she
has given us stories on a variety of subjects, ranging from
Olympics coverage of the women's figure skating finals to the
marital woes of the British royal family. "I love the variety
of what I do," she says.
Duffy's uncharacteristic jaunt into the world of Irish
politics was fueled in small part by her own Irish extraction
and in larger part by Robinson's impressive reputation.
"Feminists I was interested in talked about how terrific
Robinson was," she says. "Nothing in our talks changed that
impression."
Duffy was particularly struck by Robinson's determined
effort to bring together representatives of like-minded
grassroots organizations from around Ireland -- and from
Northern Ireland as well. "There's no mystery in this," says
Duffy. "The more that ordinary people know of each other, the
less hatred there will be." She also found time to appreciate
the "very human pace" of Dublin.
Through the years, Duffy has interviewed some of the
world's most revered cultural stars. "Vladimir Nabokov started
out very formidable, asking for questions ahead of time," she
recalls of a 1969 interview. "But once I traveled to Switzerland
and saw him in Montreux, he was whimsical and utterly
charming." In the world of ballet, a specialty of Duffy's, Peter
Martins was "candid to a fault," while Mikhail Baryshnikov often
offered "poetic responses" to her questions. Perhaps Duffy's
secret is that she notices and records the variety in this world
exceptionally well.
-- Elizabeth P. Valk