COLSON
WHITEHEAD
at University of South Carolina
What a treat! Thursday
evening Colson Whitehead appeared at the University of South Carolina and
talked about his novel The Underground
Railroad, which has won numerous awards including the Pulitzer Prize.
His sense
of humor despite the grim subject of his book made for a lively presentation. Though his novel paints a dire picture of American slavery in the 19th
Century, his talk was virtually apolitical. It was as if he said what he needed
to say in his novel.
He is planning other writing projects and mentioned that he’d like to try his hand
at different genres. I attended the presentation with my friend Carole Rothstein (below).
 |
| Carole and Whitehead, signing his book. |
This is
the first of a four-week series of author appearances at the University as part of The OpenBook. Discussions of the authors on Mondays precede the visits on Wednesdays (6-7:00 PM). Next Wednesday (April 4) Christina Garcia will discuss her
novel King of Cuba.
I still haven't finished The Underground Railroad, so there's not much of a chance I'll read Garcia's novel before next Wednesday. It's a challenge to try to read four books in four weeks. Fortunately, The Open Book is forgiving—no spotlights, no questions, no tests, just a great way to spend an hour.
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