‘Fiction Matters’ Topic of Literary Society Lecture

The celebrated novelist, short story writer, biographer and essayist, Roxana Robinson, will be the featured speaker at the Gene Barnett Literary Society Lecture on Tuesday, November 11, at 8 p.m. in Wilson Auditorium, Dickinson Hall, Metropolitan Campus. The topic is “Fiction Matters.”

Robinson is a critically acclaimed author of four novels and three collections of short stories. Her work has been compared to John Cheever’s by The New York Times, and to Edith Wharton’s by Newsweek.

The New York Times has chosen four of her works Notable Books of the Year. The novelist Robert Stone described her latest novel, Cost (2008), as “an important, timely book that furthers insight into our present fortunes and dilemmas.” Robinson’s novels include Sweetwater, This is My Daughter and Summer Light and her short story collections are A Perfect Stranger, Asking for Love and A Glimpse of Scarlet.

She is also a biographer and scholar of 19th- and early 20th-century American art. Her biography of Georgia O’Keeffe was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award and named one of The New York Times Notable Books of the Year. Robinson teaches creative writing at The New School in New York City.

After the lecture, there is a question-and-answer period with the audience, and copies of her books will be available for signing.

The doors will open at 7:15 p.m. on the evening of the lecture. There are no advance ticket sales or reserved seating. If there are groups of 10 or more, call (201) 692-7032 and arrangements for group seating will be made. The lecture is free for FDU students, faculty and staff with a valid ID. The donation for the general public is $10. For additional information, call (201) 692-7028.