All weekend in Newark, readings of Roth's work sparked thoughtful conversations and decades-old controversies
festival held this weekend in Newark, proves that this city’s native son is indeed still beloved here in New Jersey—and that five years after his death, the celebrated author’s work and local legend lives on.
Two years ago, this idea of a Roth celebration and exploration really got rolling after a meeting with donor, lifelong Roth-reader, and wife of NJ’s former Governor, Sharon Corzine, who grew up across the street from the author’s family on Keer Avenue out in the southern residential district of Weequahic.
Current re-evaluations seemed more mixed on Roth’s 2000 bestseller, “The Human Stain,” which features not only an older man seducing a younger woman but also the complexities of race, with Roth writing about the experiences of a black professor “passing” as white. One panel entitled “What Gives You the Right,” asked the question: could a book like “The Human Stain” be published today—or should it?
The festival shrewdly showcased Roth works that deal more with history than hanky-panky, and so the readings at NJPAC suggested their place in the literary pantheon are secure. Morgan Spector read the 1959 short story, “Defender of the Faith” on Saturday, and in “The Gilded Age” actor’s crisp, avuncular reading, the short story felt as precise and polished as when it appeared in “The New Yorker” 64-years ago.
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