Calls for help

Probably because my CV is online, and because the end of the semester is near, over the past week I've gotten calls for help from several students at schools other than mine. Doing what I can . . .

My favorite came in tonight — from Mohamed Salhm in Egypt:

Dear Professor Rettberg,

Let me introduce myself.I am an MA Egyptian student interested in Brian friel and tom Murphy plays.UI am doing a thesis on Brian friel plays entitled “Home Where The Heartache is:Physical and Spiritual Exile as Reflected in Selected plays by Brian Friel.

There are very very few professor here in Egypt interested in my topic and there are vcery very few books and varticles on Brian Friel and Tom Murphy.

Let me ask you please for God sake

I am in badly need of your article on Brian Friel and Murhy,please

“The Myth of the American Dream in Three Contemporary Irish Plays by Brian Friel, Thomas Murphy, and Joseph O'Connor.”Texts & Contexts: The Journal of the Comparative Drama Conference, 1996.

Please if you can send it to my online mail or I will,if you agree ,I will send you my postal address,please.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

—

I recognize that “for God sake” sense of urgency from my senior sem students, who are racing to complete their seminar papers.

Unfortunately, I found that I'm unable to import my old Wordperfect docs to Word format. I sent him the WP doc — hopefully he'll be able to convert it. My first academic publication. Gee whiz.