 What is an underlying issue that the writer touches upon throughout the whole passage?
Shawn--"with his usual hushed delicacy of speech and manner"--inquires of the novelist whether he could possibly reveal what prompted the creation of such an exquisite work. Both these memoirs must be read by everyone--everyone, that is, who takes seriously the important business of sorting out precisely how he or she feels about The New Yorker , then and now. Moreover, Mehta writes as Shawn's adoring acolyte, whereas Ross writes as his longtime adulterous lover. Just knowing that Mrs. Shawn is still alive adds a certain tension to reading much of what this Other Woman chooses to divulge. Thereafter, the couple set up housekeeping together in an apartment 20 blocks downtown from the Shawn residence on upper Fifth Avenue and stoically endured the sufferings of Shawn's wife, who did not want a divorce.
 There are different sources with differing opinions, making it hard to infer the total truth about Shawn and later Tina Brown.
 The two memoirs are completely inaccurate, and thus nothing that is offered can be true.  Shawn clearly had deep relationships with many people. Thus, it's hard to fully understand his life and his thoughts.  Shawn had been cheating on his wife, and even without getting a proper divorce he still pursued Ross.  There are different sources with differing opinions, making it hard to infer the total truth about Shawn and later Tina Brown.