Chapter 1, Maestro Summary

Nathan Zuckerman is an established writer who is looking back on his youth. Twenty years ago, Zuckerman had just published his first few short stories. Zuckerman reaches out to Lonoff, an established writer whose work Zuckerman admires, and goes to visit him at his farm in the Berkshires.

Zuckerman arrives at Lonoff's house and is immediately beside himself with hero worship. Zuckerman believes Lonoff to be a great writer despite his lack of acceptance in the literary world Zuckerman so badly wants to be a part of in New York City. Zuckerman takes a quick inventory of Zuckerman's home and vows to himself that he will one day live like this himself. They begin to talk. Zuckerman tells Lonoff about his day job selling magazine subscriptions while Lonoff talks about his days, which are filled with writing and the occasional class...