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Fall Arts
Books: Here come the authors

By Mary Ann Gwinn
Seattle Times book editor

GREG GILBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES Roddy Doyle to read from his new novel "Oh, Play That Thing," at Benaroya Hall, Nov 15.

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Book lovers mourning the loss of Northwest Bookfest can console themselves with a splendid lineup of authors trooping through town this fall.

Much has been made of why Bookfest folded its tent — considering this fall's lineup, the words "stiff competition" come to mind. Because of its extremely high books consumption per capita and its wealth of bookstores, Seattle remains a top destination for authors. And then there's Seattle Arts & Lectures, Foolproof Performing Arts and Town Hall, all presenting readings, all of which have gained a firm foothold in the cultural mix.

This fall the city will have on offer everyone from deep thinkers Cornel West ("Democracy Matters," Sept. 10 and 11) and William Vollman ("Rising Up, Rising Down," Dec. 2) to literary wizards T.C. Boyle (Oct. 5) and Roddy Doyle (Nov. 15).

There's British fantasy author Susanna Clarke ("Dr. Strange & Mr. Norrell," Sept. 30) and literary troublemakers Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Sept. 19), who have rather presumptively written a prequel to Peter Pan. And what a bargain readings are: Most are free, and even the priciest are in the low double digits.

Do you know how lucky you are to live in such a lit-rich town? A tip: Spend the fall in Phoenix; you'll find out.

CRITIC'S PICKS

	T.C. Boyle will discuss his latest novel, "The Inner Circle," inspired by sex researcher Dr. Alfred Kinsey, Oct. 5 at Benaroya Hall.

T.C. Boyle. This versatile and imaginative author has looked at America upside, downside and sideways in his inventive novels ("The Tortilla Curtain, "The Road to Wellville," "Drop City."), and is a raconteur par excellence. He will discuss his latest novel, "The Inner Circle," inspired by sex researcher Dr. Alfred Kinsey. Oct. 5, Seattle Arts & Lectures at Benaroya Hall.

Kay Redfield Jamison. Jamison, an elegant writer and authority on mood disorders (author of "An Unquiet Mind" and "Night Falls Fast") examines the crest of the waves of emotion that roil the human brain in "Exuberance: The Passion for Life," exploring how exuberance fuels intellectual searching, risk-taking, creativity and survival. Oct. 18, Town Hall.

Richard Rhodes. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author ("The Making of the Atomic Bomb"), a trenchant and incisive nonfiction writer, has written a moving new biography, "John James Audubon: The Making of an American," the story of how an illegitimate son of a Frenchman became the world's most famous bird artist. Oct. 22, University Book Store; Nov. 21, Eagle Harbor Book Co.

Legacy: A Celebration of James Welch. Richard Hugo House, the center for Seattle writers, gets its tongue out of its cheek and devotes its annual inquiry to James Welch, the much underappreciated Native-American author ("Winter in the Blood," "The Indian Lawyer," "The Heartsong of Charging Elk" ) who lamentably died last year. Oct. 22-23, Richard Hugo House, www.hugohouse.org/programs/annualinquiry.html.

Mark Helprin. The fantastically talented author of "Winter's Tale" and "Memoir from Antproof Case" returns to the city he lived in for a time, reading from a new story collection, "Pacific and Other Stories." Nov. 8, Elliott Bay Book Co. at noon; Third Place Books at 7 p.m.

ONE TO WATCH

Susanna Clarke

	Susanna Clarke reads from her hefty fantasy novel, "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell," at Elliott Bay Book Co. on Sept. 30.

The buzz book of the fall is an-almost-800-page novel, "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury). A tale of two magicians who help save England from Napoleon, it's set amid the turmoil of the Duke of Wellington's campaigns, including the pivotal battle at Waterloo. Kirkus Reviews, which publishes bellweather reviews for the publishing industry, called it "one of the finest fantasies ever written."

Clarke, who was a cookbook editor for a British division of publishing giant Simon & Schuster until she recently began writing full time, told Publisher's Weekly (who described Clarke's accomplishment as "writing a Regency social comedy and infusing it with magic") that she was deeply influenced by both Jane Austen and Portland science-fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin's "Earthsea" trilogy. The novel took her 10 years to write.

Booksellers, anticipating that the burgeoning reading audience for fantasy will snap this one up, walked away with hundreds of copies at publishing convention Book Expo this summer. Thanks to the success of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Hollywood producers are vying for the film rights to this one. Clarke will tour through Seattle this fall, reading at Elliott Bay Book Co. on Sept. 30.

Mary Ann Gwinn mgwinn@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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