Cynthia Ozick was born in New York City. Her writing displays a dazzling blend of moral seriousness and comic genius. Her books include The Pagan Rabbi and Other Stories, The Messiah of Stockholm, The Shawl, and The Puttermesser Papers. Ms. Ozick, who says, “I measure my life in sentences pressed out, line by line,” has also published numerous books of essays, including the most recent collection Quarrel and Quandary. She lives in New Rochelle, New York.