Freund, Harry 1940–

views updated

Freund, Harry 1940–

(Harry Isaac Freund)

PERSONAL: Born March 15, 1940, in Brooklyn, NY; son of Milton Bernard and Miriam (Kottler) Freund; married Matta Kopp (a doctor), October 30, 1966; children: Michael Baruch, Rebecca Chaya, John Kopp. Education: University of Pennsylvania, B.S., 1961. Politics: Republican.

ADDRESSES: Home—New York, NY. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Carroll & Graf Publishers, 245 W. 17th St., 11th Fl., New York, NY 10011-5300.

CAREER: Loeb Rhoades & Co., New York, NY, securities analyst, 1967–71; Hayden Stone, Inc., New York, NY, securities analyst, 1971–73; G. Tsai & Co., New York, NY, securities analyst, 1973–75; Balfour Securities Corp., New York, NY, chair, beginning 1975. Member of board of overseers, Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of Greater New York, 1987; board member of Keren-Or, 1987; chair of Croyden Capital Corp. and Publicker Industries, Inc.; vice chair of NuCorp Energy, Inc. Member, Jewish Book Council.

MEMBER: American Friends of Shavei Israel, National Jewish Outreach Program, American Friends of Shalva, American Friends of Selah (founder).

WRITINGS:

Love with Noodles: An Amorous Widower's Tale (novel), Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Harry Freund began writing late in life, following a successful career in finance. His debut novel, Love with Noodles: An Amorous Widower's Tale, resulted from an idea that refused to let him rest. Set in the world of affluent Jewish New Yorkers, the work tells the story of Dan, a widower who is trying to move forward with his life despite the fact that the very idea of dating makes him tired. Freund depicts Dan's humorous relationships with two very different women: Violet, a wealthy, confident widow; and Tatiana, a much-younger Russian immigrant who has a small son. Dan finds himself struggling to decide what makes a good second marriage, and whether love is still the most important factor in a relationship or if other, more material considerations should be considered. At the same time, Dan's son chooses to marry a woman who is not Jewish, which gives Dan one more problem to think about. Marika Zemke, writing for Library Journal, remarked that the novel "will have readers laughing at the unspoken sexual experiences after a 'certain age.'" A contributor for Publishers Weekly decided that the story "skates by on a breeze of light social comedy." In a review for Forward.com, Adam Stern concluded that "the novel makes for some good laughs and some corny, if not all too true, parodies of married life."