The Book, Cat, & Cat Book Lovers Almanac

of historical trivia regarding books, cats, and other animals. Actually this blog has evolved so that it is described better as a blog about cats in history and culture. And we take as a theme the advice of Aldous Huxley: If you want to be a writer, get some cats. Don't forget to see the archived articles linked at the bottom of the page.

May 15, 2020

May 15, 1936


Paul Zindel  (May 15, 1936 to March 27, 2003) was an American playwright. Among his works is  a drama titled And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little.

The play contains scenes of intense domestic drama. Catherine describes her sister Ceil as having taken so many graduate courses in education she had "euphemism of the brain." Catherine is the eponymous Miss Reardon. They and their sister Anna have all been teachers at some point. The conversation turns to Anna who on a trip to Rome may have signaled an incipient mental breakdown by picking up a "a flea-bitten ugly cat." At the Trevi Fountain the cat bit her and the succeeding chain of events involve scenes of the New York educational system where Zindel himself taught for 10 years.

Zindel was a prolific writer, including young adult books. He won a Pulitzer (1971) for The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. 

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