Stephen W. Asher ’66, M.D., has published his debut literary historical novel, “Ceremony of Innocence.” Set in 1920s Nice, Provence, and Paris, the novel follows a Wellesley graduate immersed in the early Modernist movement. Drawing from his 40-year career as an Oxford-educated clinical neurologist exploring the mind-brain boundary, Asher infuses the narrative with psychological depth and historical authenticity. His work has previously appeared in sporting literature, and he is a member of PEN America, the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society and the Barbara Pym Society.

Asher earned his bachelor’s degree in zoology, was subsequently educated at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco and St. Catherine’s College Oxford, and spent his professional life as a neurologist.

“I graduated with a minor in English lit and, over the years, writing remained my quiet mistress, “Asher said. “Creating this novel was her declaration.”