(urth) Lame Protagonists

[Lee Berman]

>Marc Aramini: supposedly, according to an online source, Wolfe had a childhood 
>encounter with polio, but the permanence of that would certiainly be in question 
>with his young career in the military. Certainly now he walks with a cane in some 
>social settings, but if there is a limp it does not seem ridiculously pronounced 
>from my brief encounters with him in his mid seventies. I wouldn't say his gait is 
>free of minor ponderance, but I would never say - that fellow clearly has a limp!
 
I've wondered about this question for years. I hadn't heard the polio story but Wolfe 
does mention having a serious leg injury as a child from a bike accident.  As you say,
he couldn't have had a very noticeable limp as a young man or he wouldn't have been 
taken by the army.
 
Perhaps one day, we'll get a reliable source who can tell us if WOlfe had a limp (and/
or chest injury scar) during the 70's when most of BotNS was written. (heh, I've 
similarly searched in vain to find out if Tolkein was missing a bit of his ring finger).