A former CRIMSON managing editor and one-time sports writer, the author of The Noblest Roman, David Halberstam, '55 always considered himself a literary light-weight. He is still somewhat of a sport.

Contacted in Nashville at what sounded like quite a gay autographing party for his first novel, Halberstam told us a little about how he came to write the tale of Angelo the neurotic bootlegger.

After graduation from Harvard, he landed a job as the only reporter on a newspaper in West Point. Miss. When he ran a piece in THE REPORTER magazine. Houghton Mifflin commissioned him to write a novel. "I had a helluva lot of spare time in the morning and afternoon," he said. "I wrote a book about people that interested me, about an incident as I knew it to happen."

But Halberstam was not trying to convey a message in his writing. "I wanted it to be strong and as visual and as much fun as possible." He aimed at being unpretentious and was considerably irritated that several were trying to justify their Ph.D.'s in an extended search for meaning in the book.

Born in 1934 in New York. Halberstam moved around some as a voungster--Rochester. Minn: Winsted, Conn: and El Paso and Austin Texas. Before coming to Cambridge, he graduated from high school in Haiberstam's main occupation is still journalism, although it-has gone quite a ways from old Point. Now an assistant to Reston in the Washington of the New York Times, maintains that "the CRIMSON greatest newspaper I have worked for."

During his days on the Halberstam was noticeably sence on the editorial page, al stamping ground of novelist. He was, he said, in the shadow of his brother he considered the best of a of crimeds.

But, according to the editor reports and the now bound volumes of old Halberstam was both a and a fine managing

During his competition post that he finally won, night editors said of him: not have a weak story on Most Important of all, he top of his paper all evening was no wild running newsroom last night, no ..Another DLH memorial For anyone who has even acquaintance with 14 this is quite an achievements.

Of course he had his "Another DLH off the presses at 3:00 this ending as anguished an it's ever been my misfortune perience," wrote one editor. "Along about 12:30 discovered that, due to a sight of a certain we lacked 42 inches of

Old DLH also had his . The writing would if it were not consist- . Halberstam writes tosses in a witty line then repeats the process. several straight-for- we begin to wait the humor that should However, the serious parts infrequent and carefully shows that of rural government turn for those who take an in the welfare of local and ward heelers. He shows position of the Negro in hasn't improved a whole Reconstruction. And, he the end that the wages better than death.

not quite sure just who ROMAN is. Al-Angelo is Italian, he may Roman; and McCalla does noble way out. No matter is, he must be a very . If you have nothing do, go out and look him will certainly roll off your couple of times.