The O’Neills faced the transition from Georgia in a way that might seem reckless. By physician's orders, Gene attempted a year of no writing to relieve stress in his neurologi¬cally afflicted body. On the hunch that the environment might be the problem, they left Casa Genotta late in 1936, feeling it likely they would never return. After a couple of weeks in New York seeing friends, they took up the invitation of a Seattle couple they had met.. Back in 1932, Sophus Keith Winther, a literary scholar and novelist at the University of Washington, was working on a critical study of O’Neill's plays and wrote to request a meeting to discuss the work. His timing was good, and Winther interviewed Gene in New York in 1932. He recounted the meeting in a breathless letter to the woman he was then courting, mentioning that Gene had invited him to come to Sea Island for a visit, which happened the following year. Winther's comprehensive study of O’Neill's plays was founded on a solid background of knowledge of trends in modern European drama and philosophy. Gene recognized and appreciated its intellectual goals—a vivid contrast to the gossipy coverage he was getting from others—and the book, described as a “systematic study in relation to the problems of the modern industrial age,” came out from Random House in 1934. Winther offered not even a hint that any of the plays might have autobiographical elements, instead couching his critique in terms of social message and tragic form. It is unfortunately a dull book, but undoubtedly respectful, and so, when Gene and Carlotta received an inscribed copy, they looked favorably on its author. They also enjoyed the company of Winther's intended wife, Eline, when the cou¬ple visited Casa Genotta. The friendship never wavered over the decades and included many visits; the correspondence gives insight into the private lives of the O’Neills.