 Rather than proceeding immediately to graduate school, he lived for some months in poverty in the village of Sainte-Rose near Montreal, where he perfected his French and began drafting a series of works, including his first book, "The Dark Voyage and the Golden Mean", which was to launch his career.He at this time also experienced a religious awakening which led to his conversion from liberal agnosticism to Anglican Christianity.He returned to Harvard to complete his master's degree, chiefly under the mentorship of the renowned classicist Eric Havelock, and continued as a Harvard Junior Fellow, envisioning an eventual career outside academe as a lone wolf writer of poetry, drama and fiction.