As it might be easy to guess, Anatole Broyard was much more sophisticated than to simply pretend not to be black. I have posted my memoirs of him (including a photo taken by me) on http://www.marharrell.com (http://marharrell.com/Pages/collect1.htm).
He was not at all a pretending person, but an ironical one. He was fresh and honest, with a clear, transparent spirit. The recollections, except for family members (and family is something else, in a category all its own), were not of Anatole's closest friends, who were either dead or unavailable. Suffice it to say that upon being introduced to him, I was told immediately of his race. Suffice it also to say that it was irrelevant. I hope that some of you might spread the word that there are several sides to that story. Excluding protecting his children, I don't think he ever "pretended." And protecting your children can be merely waiting for the right time. Hope this is stimulating and adds some insight. The essay was only a piece of who he was--certainly not a real picture, not a real-life presence--though it had many good and astute attributes. Margaret