From the Publisher

By Elizabeth P. Valk

Senior writer Martha Duffy has had her share of reluctant interview subjects. Saul Bellow was grouchy; Robert Penn Warren was shy. This week's Profile subject -- Irish President Mary Robinson -- was a different kind of challenge for Duffy, who usually writes about artists and their craft. "Robinson was | more guarded than, say, a fashion designer or a choreographer," says Duffy. "At times it was a little puzzling since she has a marvelous record of accomplishment."

So does Duffy. When she joined TIME in 1960 as a researcher, institutional tradition suggested that her climb up the editorial ladder would stop there. But later she became a writer, concentrating primarily on cultural subjects and book reviews, and in 1974 was among the first women to be named a senior editor. Over the next 15 years, she applied her formidable insights and delicate editing touches to the cultural sections of the magazine, all the while quietly carving a path for other women to follow. Three years ago, Duffy decided that she wanted to return to her first love, writing. Since then, she has given us stories on a variety of subjects, ranging from Olympics coverage of the women's figure skating finals to the marital woes of the British royal family. "I love the variety of what I do," she says.

Duffy's uncharacteristic jaunt into the world of Irish politics was fueled in small part by her own Irish extraction and in larger part by Robinson's impressive reputation. "Feminists I was interested in talked about how terrific Robinson was," she says. "Nothing in our talks changed that impression."

Duffy was particularly struck by Robinson's determined effort to bring together representatives of like-minded grassroots organizations from around Ireland -- and from Northern Ireland as well. "There's no mystery in this," says Duffy. "The more that ordinary people know of each other, the less hatred there will be." She also found time to appreciate the "very human pace" of Dublin.

Through the years, Duffy has interviewed some of the world's most revered cultural stars. "Vladimir Nabokov started out very formidable, asking for questions ahead of time," she recalls of a 1969 interview. "But once I traveled to Switzerland and saw him in Montreux, he was whimsical and utterly charming." In the world of ballet, a specialty of Duffy's, Peter Martins was "candid to a fault," while Mikhail Baryshnikov often offered "poetic responses" to her questions. Perhaps Duffy's secret is that she notices and records the variety in this world exceptionally well.