Lame Protagonists

Lee Berman · 16 Jun 2011, 19:28 · from 2011-June.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2011 15:28:52 -0400
Subject: (urth) Lame Protagonists
Message-ID: <SNT123-W341173148003782E0AF52CF6A0 at phx.gbl>

>Marc Aramini: supposedly, according to an online source, Wolfe had a childhood 
>encounter with polio, but the permanence of that would certiainly be in question 
>with his young career in the military. Certainly now he walks with a cane in some 
>social settings, but if there is a limp it does not seem ridiculously pronounced 
>from my brief encounters with him in his mid seventies. I wouldn't say his gait is 
>free of minor ponderance, but I would never say - that fellow clearly has a limp!

I've wondered about this question for years. I hadn't heard the polio story but Wolfe 
does mention having a serious leg injury as a child from a bike accident.  As you say,
he couldn't have had a very noticeable limp as a young man or he wouldn't have been 
taken by the army.

Perhaps one day, we'll get a reliable source who can tell us if WOlfe had a limp (and/
or chest injury scar) during the 70's when most of BotNS was written. (heh, I've 
similarly searched in vain to find out if Tolkein was missing a bit of his ring finger).

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