A Walker in the City: Elegy for Gloucester

By Peter Anastas

Between 1978 and 1990, Peter Anastas published 620 columns on the editorial page of his hometown newspaper, the Gloucester Daily Times. Anastas’ weekly column, “This Side of the Cut,” recalled his childhood during the 1910s. He shared stories of his Greek immigrant family and the rich diversity of social life he experienced growing up on the Boulevard and in Gloucester’s inner city. He watched the fishing vessels being unloaded on Gloucester's historic waterfront and he tramped the woods and beaches of the town, observing the abundant wildlife and the unspoiled natural environment.

All of this Anastas described in clear, direct prose, as though entering into dialogue with the people and place of his birth.  What shines through these selected newspaper columns, and those he subsequently wrote for alternative media under the rubric “A Walker in the City,” is a native’s love and concern for his homeplace.

Softcover, 244 pages, 8" x 5 5/16". Copyright 2013 Peter Anastas