Photo by Kelly Davidson
Susan Orlean
Susan Orlean, an extraordinary writer, and Ron Charles, a powerful book critic, will face off at the St. Louis Woman’s Club on October 17.
Even though Orlean’s latest, The Library Book, is about setting books on fire, don’t expect any explosions from this civilized conversation. Charles has already gone on record: “Orlean, a longtime New Yorker writer, has been captivating us with human stories for decades,” he wrote, “and her latest book is a wide-ranging, deeply personal and terrifically engaging investigation of humanity’s bulwark against oblivion: the library.”
Specifically, The Library Book tells the puzzling tale of the arson that destroyed much of the Los Angeles Public Library. But because this is Susan Orlean, her book also delves into the history of bookmaking, book burning, and books' transformative power in individual lives (including her own).
Orlean was just in St. Louis last November, when she regaled a crowd of book-lovers with the backstory of her research. Since then, The Library Book has been named one of the 10 best books of 2018 by both The Washington Post and The New York Times; this June, it won the Marfield Prize for Arts Writing. A New Yorker staff writer, Orlean has served as a judge for the National Book Awards, and she chairs the literary journalism program at the Banff Centre.
As for Charles, book critic for The Washington Post, he is one of a handful of people whose thumb’s position can change the literary landscape. He’s also a native St. Louisan: graduated from The Principia College, earned his master’s in English literature at Washington University, and taught at John Burroughs School.
Together, Charles and Orlean will banter, debate, and explore the world of words on October 17 at the Saint Louis Woman’s Club (4600 Lindell). Sponsored by The Heritage Account (for what is a discussion of books, if not a form of historical preservation?), the evening begins with cocktails and a book signing (the just-released soft cover edition will be available) at 6 p.m., followed by the conversation and capped off with dinner.
Ticket price is $85. For details and reservations, contact Carolyn Farrell at carolyngfarrell@gmail.com.
