October 15, 2002
Contact: George Yatchisin
(805) 893-3494
e-mail: yatchisin-g@ sa.ucsb.edu
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon presents the 39th Annual Edwin & Jean Corle Memorial Lecture at UCSB Campbell Hall
Summary Facts:
- Michael Chabon
- An Afternoon with the Author
- Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
- The author of the recently released Summerland, plus Wonder Boys and The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
- The 39th Annual Edwin & Jean Corle Memorial Lecture
- Sunday, November 24
- 2 pm / UCSB Campbell Hall
- Free event
- Information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at 893-3535
Michael Chabon, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 2001 for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, will present the 39th Annual Edwin & Jean Corle Memorial Lecture on Sunday, November 24 at 2 pm in UCSB Campbell Hall. This is a free event.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon’s third novel, won almost unanimous critical praise. The exhilarating story of comic book creators in mid-20th century New York City, the book is a paean to the American Dream as it is pursued through the imagination and a life-and-death struggle with the Nazis during World War II. New York magazine wrote, “I’m not sure what the exact definition of a ’great American novel’ is, but I’m pretty sure that Michael Chabon’s sprawling, idiosyncratic, and wrenching new book is one.” Time magazine asserts the book contains “the kind of prose that leaps 600 pages of fantasy and social history in a single bound...never before told with as much imagination, verve and affection.”
In addition to Kavalier & Clay, Chabon has written two other novels. His first book The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (1988) was written as his MFA thesis while he was a student at UC Irvine. Chabon received a book contract for the manuscript even before he earned his degree. He labored on his second novel, feeling somewhat burdened by all the praise heaped upon his debut. He finally abandoned a lengthy manuscript, Fortune City, that in part dealt with the building of a downtown baseball stadium in the style of old parks (an idea that has since been realized in many cities, including Baltimore and Pittsburgh). Instead, he wrote a novel about an author struggling to write his second book, the lauded Wonder Boys (1995), which was adapted into the highly praised film starring Michael Douglas, Toby Maguire and Robert Downey, Jr.
Chabon’s just published Summerland is a children’s book on steroids, bursting with imagination for its 500 pages. A rich mix of Native American folklore, a flying Saab, nasty monsters, a kindly Sasquatch, a talking, prophetic clam and all the joys and horrors of Little League baseball, Summerland is a sure hit for both adults and children. The San Francisco Chronicle writes, “The power of Chabon’s verbal and storytelling power delivers in the clutch.”
In addition to his novels, Chabon has published two collections of short stories, Werewolves in Their Youth (1999) and A Model World and Other Stories (1990). His story “Son of the Wolfman” was chosen for the 1999 O. Henry collection and for a National Magazine Award. He lectures regularly on the imagination, the art and craft of writing, the tradition of Jewish fiction and other topics. A familiar name in Hollywood, he is adapting The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay into a screenplay for producer Scott Rudin and has delivered lectures to the creative teams at Pixar Animation Studios and Industrial Light and Magic. He was recently selected to write The Amazing Spider-Man sequel to Columbia Pictures’ box office smash.
To read more about and by Michael Chabon, see his website Bumps on My Head: Underpinnings, Recurring Subjects, Passing Fancies and a Smattering of Random Reading Material at www.michaelchabon.com.
Courtesy of the UCSB Bookstore, books by Michael Chabon will be available for purchase and signing at the event. This talk, the 39th Annual Edwin & Jean Corle Memorial Lecture, is presented by the UCSB Library and UCSB Arts & Lectures, and is sponsored by KEYT 1250 AM.
For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.
Editor: For photos, please call
George Yatchisin at (805) 893-3494.