Mary Gaitskill
Tuesday, October 15, 2019 | 8 p.m.
Payne Room, The Tang Museum
Mary Gaitskill is one of the country’s most celebrated writers, whose recent novella "This Is Pleasure," published in the July 2019 New Yorker, follows a succession of provocative books, from the novels Veronica and The Mare to the story collections Don’t Cry and Bad Behavior and the 2017 essay collection Someone with a Little Hammer. Her story "Secretary" was made into a successful feature film starring Maggie Glyllenhall. Of Gaitskill’s work, Alice Munro says “ferocious, terrifying.” The New York Times’ Meghan O’Rourke writes that Gaitskill is widely regarded as “the Jane Austen of sickos,” while others in the Times speak of her “eloquence” and “the combination of severity and empathy” in her work.
Mary Gaitskill will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Skidmore President Phillip A. Glotzbach, speak about her work, read from her recent controversial novella and respond to audience questions.
A book signing and reception will follow.