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Loyola University's Library Speaker Series welcomes a particularly exciting guest for its first event of 2007: Erik Larson, best-selling author of The Devil in the White City. Mr. Larson’s talk, entitled "Breathing Life Into the Dead," will touch on his research methods for both The Devil in a White City and Thunderstruck, his newest book released in late 2006. The talk will be followed by a Q&A session and brief reception; copies of his books will be available for purchase and autographing. This free event will take place on April 19 at 6 pm in the Crown Center Auditorium on the Lake Shore Campus. Reservations may be sent to Carol Franklin at cfrank@luc.edu or 773-508-2641.
Larson's books have generated a spirited debate regarding the nonfiction genre. Because the histories are presented as narratives, complete with dialogue and scene-setting, the books read more like fiction than nonfiction.
Nonetheless, Larson’s work is painstakingly researched and carefully documented; as he puts it, "It's not about making it up – it's about detail." With a background in journalism and experience writing for such publications as Time Magazine and The New Yorker, Larson surely has experience transforming simple facts into compelling stories. Undoubtedly, his talk will shed light on this fascinating process. |
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His newest book arrives on a wave of critical and commercial success for The Devil in the White City. Winner of the Edgar Award for nonfiction crime writing and nominated for a National Book Award, Devil in the White City tells the true story of two very different men whose lives intersect during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago: head architect Daniel Burnham and serial murderer Dr. Henry H. Holmes. As Burnham struggles to transform Chicago's bleak urban landscape into a dazzling World's Fair, Holmes capitalizes on the event by preying on young women drawn to the excitement of the city. In a strange parallel, Dr. Holmes also becomes a kind of architect, constructing a World’s Fair hotel complete with gas chamber and crematorium that will serve as a backdrop for a series of ghastly crimes. |
Thunderstruck is written in a similar vein, following the parallel narratives of murderer Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen and famed inventor Guglielmo Marconi. Their paths cross on a transatlantic journey from England to America, though the men have boarded the ship for vastly different reasons. Marconi, inventor of the wireless, is eager to prove that he can send a message across the Atlantic, while Crippen is a murderer on the run from Scotland Yard. Not surprisingly, Marconi's new technology plays a pivotal role in the chase, allowing the authorities to catch the killer and transmit news of his arrest across the entire globe.
Larson is also the author of Isaac's Storm, the true story of a 1900 hurricane that slammed into Galveston, Texas. Given the intriguing range of material Larson has researched, his talk is not to be missed. |
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Volume 1 Number 1
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