Pen Pals Lecture Series: Michael Chabon

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More About

• Michael Chabon
• Pittsburgh
• Curtis Hanson
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media
• Action and Adventure Movies

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Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon began his career writing more conventional literary stories, including his debut novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, and the sharp academic comedy Wonder Boys, which was deftly adapted for the big screen by director Curtis Hanson. Chabon's career took a turn with his award-winning third novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, a rich, character-driven tale set in the early days of the comic-book industry. The massive success of his book honoring underappreciated genre-fiction writers seems to have liberated Chabon to incorporate pulp aesthetics and fanciful plot machinations into his own work. Both the slender The Final Solution and the lengthier alternate history The Yiddish Policemen's Union incorporate mystery and noir tropes, and his latest, A Gentleman of the Road (Del Rey), is even subtitled "A Tale of Adventure." He has also written his own comic books, some based on the four-color heroes featured in Kavalier and Clay, as well as co-scripted the blockbuster Spider-Man 2. Chabon is one of our most insightful and articulate chroniclers of nostalgia, American pop culture, and the impact of boyhood fantasy on modern men (topics explored in his essay collections Maps and Legends and Manhood for Amateurs). The author will discuss his work as part of the Pen Pals Lecture Series. (Photo by Stephanie Rausser)
Thu., April 22, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., April 23, 11 a.m., 2010