Garaventa Center
Residence Life
Library
February 7, 2019
Author Colum McCann’s 2009 novel Let the Great World Spin is the 2018-2019 selection for University of Portland’s annual ReadUP campaign and Schoenfeldt Distinguished Visiting Writers series. The lecture will take place in Buckley Auditorium on February 20, at 7 p.m. and is free, and open to the public. McCann will follow the lecture with a book signing.
The novel is set in 1974 Manhattan and begins with a mysterious tightrope walker crossing between the Twin Towers. The novel follows the seemingly unrelated stories of an Irish monk, a group of mothers mourning their sons who died in Vietnam, a young artist who is the victim of a hit and run, and a 38 year old grandmother. All of these stories, and more, come together to share the effect of the “artistic crime of the century” and to tell the story of a city in a time of transition.
McCann has authored six novels and three collections of stories. Born in Dublin, Ireland, he has received many international honors including the National Book Award, the International Dublin Impac Prize, a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the French government, election to the Irish arts academy, several European awards, the 2010 Best Foreign Novel Award in China, and an Oscar nomination. He has been a member of the American Academy of Arts since 2017 and is the co-founder of the global non-profit exchange organization Narrative 4.
ReadUP is an annual celebration of literature by the entire campus community. The community is invited to read “one book together”, and copies of the book of choice are distributed each year by the Clark Library. Discussion groups are formed in order to dissect the content and start a conversation. The conversation culminates with a public lecture and discussion by the author of the book of the year. The event is a part of the Schoenfeldt Distinguished Visiting Writers Series, and is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, Garaventa Center, Clark Library, Office of Residence Life, the Office of University Relations, and the Office of Marketing and Communications.
A collection of Book Discussion Groups facilitated by Fr. Charlie Gordon C.S.C. will be held leading up to the public lecture by the book’s author. The discussion groups are used to facilitate conversation about the book.
For more information about ReadUP, contact the Garaventa Center at garaventa@up.edu or 503.943.7702.
University of Portland
5000 N. Willamette Blvd.,
Portland, Oregon 97203-5798
503.943.8000
This website uses cookies to track information for analytics purposes. You can view the full University of Portland privacy policy for more information.
