On The Sun’s Fiftieth Anniversary

I have a unique relationship with The Sun: I was born in January 1974, the same month and year that the first issue of the magazine was published. In January 2004 the Readers Write section on “Turning Thirty” arrived in my mailbox just days before my thirtieth birthday. I had lost my mother only a few months before, and that issue was a great comfort to me. Then, in June 2005, as I helped my father clean out his house and downsize as a widower, the Readers Write topic was “Possessions.”

In February 2012 I went to a reading The Sun held at a cafe near my home. I had a newborn at home, and it was a cold Chicago night, but I wasn’t missing it. I met Sy Safransky and told him I was the same age as The Sun. He replied, “You look good for your age.”

So, when your January 2023 issue arrived with the headline “Our 50th Year of Publication,” I was once again struck by the very personal anniversaries The Sun always reminds me of. I had not considered that turning forty-nine indeed marked the start of my fiftieth year of existence. Congratulations to The Sun, Sy, and everyone involved for bringing so many people such a special view of humanity for almost fifty years. I suppose now would be a good time to consider a lifetime subscription, since clearly this is a long-term relationship. And may we both continue to look good for our age!