Getting to Know Our Neighbors: Sissela Bok

Continuing our series “Getting to Know Our Neighbors,” we’d like to introduce you to Sissela Bok, an owner since the building was built 31 years ago. In fact, she and her husband, Derek, former President (1971–1991, interim 2006–2007) of Harvard, were first shown the Esplanade by Moshe Safdie the architect of our building (who was recently awarded the International Wolf Prize “for a career motivated by the social concerns of architecture”). In 1988 Sissela and Derek climbed the stairs with Moshe to a unit that he wanted them to see. Sissela remembers, “It was wintry. The building had no walls or windows yet but it was wonderful. We looked out at the river through what would be the windows and knew that there was something special about this place and this was where we wanted to be!” She also remembers Moshe saying how happy he was with designing the ceiling above the swimming pool to be something beautiful in its own right for swimmers to enjoy -- not just some ordinary-looking bland surface. Sissela and Derek bought the unit and, about 10 years after they moved in, they bought a second smaller unit that now serves as a guest apartment, an office, and home to their new exercise bicycle that they are using until they feel comfortable returning to the gym.

Sissela, the daughter of two Nobel Prize winners — Gunnar Myrdal who won the Economics prize with Friedrich Hayek in 1974 and Alva Myrdal who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982 — was born in Sweden. She came to the US at age 20 from the Sorbonne to George Washington University. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in the US and is the author and co-author of a number of books and awards. Bok was awarded the Orwell Award in 1978 for Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life and the Courage of Conscience award in 1991 "for her contributions to peacemaking strategies in the tradition of her mother."  She was also a member of the Pulitzer Prize Board (1988-97). 

Sissela remains ever curious, continuing to write and read with an ongoing concern about “what others have to say, respecting differences, and exploring ideas and keeping up with what’s going on around the world as well as at home.” She agrees with John Kenneth Galbraith who said, “Write in the morning and, then, you have the rest of the day to do what you want.” She strives for that but acknowledges that, with Covid in our lives, housekeeping takes more time and leaves less time for other things. 

As Sissela contemplates our world today, with an ongoing focus on ethical issues, she recalled the guidance of significant others in her life. Among them was a friend who, at age 50, had become depressed after her husband died. One day, the friend’s son confronted her and asked, “What are you going to do with the rest of your life?” It was what the friend needed to “begin living again. She joined the foreign service and went on to live a very active life.”  That question continues to interest Sissela as one that “occurs to many people at times of crisis, as, for example, after Covid-19 struck.”

And, with other queries, she “keeps up dialogues with people in my life who have passed away.”  She imagines what decisions they would have made and reflects on what her mother often said when working for disarmament during the height of the East-West nuclear confrontation: “It’s not worthy of human beings to give up.”  This is even more relevant these days--- to keep going-- as we deal with the challenges of today. And she wonders, “What would they have done? Would they have been more willing to sacrifice personal comforts for the good of all? What choices have others made to lead their lives? Would they have said “Don’t give up?” Her mother would have been so pleased to learn that finally the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was ratified by the fiftieth country on October 25. This turned it into international law, entering into force January 22, 2021.

Continuing the discussion of dealing with the challenges of today, I asked Sissela about her book, Exploring Happiness: From Aristotle to Brain Science and what suggestions she has. She said that she thinks it is important to keep an eye open for and reach out to others, to be grateful for what we do have, and to keep up friendships and projects. For example, Sissela has been a member of a women’s group for fifty years. They remain active, staying vibrant with projects and plans, and supporting each other. She is also grateful for Esplanade Community Group (ECG) that “has been indispensable at building community… welcoming to all and much needed right now.”  And, she is an active member of a women’s book club in the Esplanade.

Family gives Sissela and Derek real joy. They have a daughter Hilary who lives in Maryland, another daughter Vicki and her family who live in Jamaica Plain, and a son Tom and his family who live in Somerville. They visit (with all the necessary precautions) and have found that Front Park is a wonderful place to get together in a Covid-safe way. Sissela also keeps up with her sister Kaj who lives in Sweden. The guest apartment has been a blessing for family visiting from Sweden and other parts of the US. 

Sissela is still grateful to live in the Esplanade. She loves the light shining in their windows, the view of the garden, and the beauty of the river. She and Derek have enjoyed the gym and the pool over the years, walking to Boston, the new beautiful North Park, and the vibrant neighborhood. They have seen many changes in Kendall Square and continue to love to explore and enjoy the life they have made here at the Esplanade. They do hope to be able to travel in the future. Sissela is an inspiration and pleasure to spend time with. Say “hello” when you see her!

--Jane Hilburt-Davis