Accomplished writers J.M. Coetzee and George Looney will be holding public readings of selected works today as part of OSU's Creative Writing Program Reading Series.
J.M. Coetzee, a native of South Africa, earned his Ph.D in literature from the University of Texas at Austin. He returned to his homeland and began teaching at the University of Cape Town in 1972, and published his first novel, "Dusklands," two years later. More novels followed, each depicting social issues relevant both worldwide and to South Africa in particular.
Michelle Herman, associate professor of English and director of the Creative Writing Program, said Coetzee's latest award-winning novel, "Disgrace," dissects many contemporary topics which are delivered in Coetzee's unparalleled style.
"He tackles the 'Academy,' the rights and lives of animals, the political situation of South Africa, relations between men and women, what it means and overall to be human at this point in history," Herman said. "I can think of no living writer who has done more to elucidate the meaning (or the struggle for it) of living in today's world."
Coetzee's works have earned him many literary awards, but his second Booker Prize for "Disgrace" has given him a very prestigious honor in the literary community, according to Creative Writing Program associate Christopher Griffin.
"The Booker is the British equivalent of the Pulitzer," Griffin said. "He's the only author to win it twice."
Patrick Mullen, professor of English, has been a longtime friend of Coetzee. He said Coetzee has become a very influential author.
"He and I were officemates; graduate students working on our Ph.D's in English at Texas in the 60s," Mullen said. "He's a wonderful writer, and one of the major novelists writing today. He's widely recognized throughout the world."
George Looney, an assistant professor of English and creative writing at Penn State Erie, has published two books of poetry in addition to his "Greatest Hits" chapbook. His first collection, "Animals Housed in the Pleasure of Flesh" won the 1995 Bluestem Award.
While teaching and writing, Looney has also served as the Editor-in-Chief and the Translation Editor for "Mid-American Review." He said his passion for all of his jobs stems from a love of reading and writing.
"I am passionate about the possibility, the capability, of the human imagination to remake and rename the world over and over. It is this passion that is behind all three of those callings," Looney said.
Kathy Fagan, associate professor in English described Looney as "a young poet making a breakthrough on the literary scene." She said Looney stands out in the competitive world of literary publishing.
"Most poetry books are published via contests. Usually publishers get between 500 and 1,500 manuscripts, so the odds of being chosen and published aren't very good," Fagan said.
Looney said he has chosen poems from his recent book, "Attendant Ghosts," to showcase the diversity of his poetry.
"I wanted to show, a little, some of the range of the poems in the book — in terms of point-of-view, use of imagery, and lyric versus narrative versus meditative," Looney said.
Fagan characterized "Attendant Ghosts" as gritty and dark, but Looney feels his work reflects the contrasting effects of passion.
"While there is suffering, there is only suffering because of passion," Looney said. "To be passionate, about the world or people in it, is a kind of pleasure, a kind of joy, but it is also a kind of suffering."
Fagan said Looney will give a very entertaining reading, and invited students interested in literary editing and publishing to attend Looney's discussion at 9:30 a.m. in Denney Hall 368.
Both readings are free and open to the public. Coetzee will be reading at 8 p.m. at the Mershon Auditorium while Looney will speak in the Denney Hall Commons Room 311 at 1:30 p.m. For more information, please call 292-2242.
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