I wish everyone could have a teacher like Ilja Wachs. He had a wealth of kindness and wisdom, and opened up more worlds to me than I'll ever be able to count. I've never met anyone else with that contagious enthusiasm for literature, one that elevated everybody's moods and brought out the best in all of us.
He was like a great musician who knew the notes and scales so well that he could wing it. No syllabus or clear structure, but captivated the room with his brilliance. Every day was magic. I'm sure it's no coincidence that most of my favorite books are ones he taught me.
When I pitched my first book, I connected song lyrics to ideas that Tolstoy explored in War and Peace. When I started to really struggle, I tried modeling it after Moby-Dick. I never would have felt brave enough to try any of that without Ilja's classes years ago.
Thank you, Ilja, for helping me find myself and for making so many of us the readers we are today. "In token of my admiration for his genius, this book is inscribed to Ilja Wachs."
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