by Chris Cumo

Peter Temes received his B.A. in literature and philosophy at the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1988. After graduation he attended Columbia University, where he earned an MFA in creative writing in 1989, an M.A. in literature in 1990, an M.Phil. in 1992 and a Ph.D. in American literature in 1994. He taught writing about history at Harvard University as a preceptor, Harvard's most junior full-time appointment. His income of $27,000 was insufficient to support a wife and three children, and he had to supplement his teaching at Harvard by being an adjunct at local colleges and community colleges. After three years of this lifestyle, with little time for research and for the preparation of lectures, he was becoming bitter and knew the time was right to leave academe. For five years he ran his own Internet consulting firm, recruiting clients ranging from small Internet start-up companies to multinational investment banking firms. His business flourished, but Temes felt restless. He wanted to return to the world of ideas, a goal he accomplished by becoming president of the Great Books Foundation.

TAA: You were once a preceptor at Harvard. Did you aspire to a career in academe, and why did you leave it for the Great Books Foundation?

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