Pulitzer Novelist Michael Chabon To Headline Annual Lecture

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (January 21, 2005) — Author Michael Chabon, who won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, and whose novels also include Wonder Boys and The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, will speak at the Students' Building of Vassar College on Tuesday, February 1, at 8:00 p.m. Chabon's free public talk is Vassar's annual Alex Krieger '95 Memorial Fund Lecture, which has featured such renowned writers and humorists as Tony Kushner, Oliver Sacks, and Christopher Buckley.

In The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Chabon wove the world of comic books, the impact of World War II, and lives of detailed and aching emotion, through the relationship between two young Jewish comic book artists. His Pulitzer winner followed Wonder Boys — the novel inspired by Chabon's failure to complete an earlier book — which was adapted for the successful movie of the same name starring Michael Douglas.

Michael Chabon gained initial fame in 1997, at age 24, when he received a $155,000 advance on the publication of his Master's thesis, a novel called The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. Chabon has also published the novel Were-wolves in Their Youth, and his story collection A Model World was divided between yuppie chronicles and a child's reckoning with his parents' divorce. His writing has also appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, Esquire, Playboy, and a number of anthologies, among them Prize Stories 1999: The O. Henry Awards.

Chabon's ability to capture modern angst in funny, intelligently plotted stories has earned him comparisons to everyone from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Don DeLillo. The selection of writers he has singled out for admiration is no less eclectic, ranging from Vladimir Nabokov to Herman Melville and John Cheever.

Vassar College's annual Alex Krieger '95 Memorial Fund Lecture honors a Vassar student who died in a car accident during his freshman year, and his parents established the series. For additional information, and for individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations, contact the Office of Campus Activities at (845) 437-5370.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Friday, January 21st, 2005.