The world according to John Irving
LaGuardia Airport security detained a suspicious man earlier this week and strip-searched him. The former wrestler who had a brief stint oversees as a tattoo artist was detained until someone was found who could identify him. Despite the hold up, he was able to make his flight.
The man, best-selling author of numerous novels and Academy Award winning screenwriter for “The Cider House Rules,” John Irving spoke as part of the Tate Lecture Series Tuesday night in McFarlin Auditorium. In the TXU lecture, Irving read an excerpt from his upcoming book “Until I Find You” and fielded questions from the audience.
“Until I Find You” explores the relationship between a second-generation tattoo artist and a tattooed church organist. The story is told by their illegitimate son Jack, who is dragged along on his mother’s journey to find the organist.
For his reading, Irving combined the first two chapters of the novel. He said parts of it may change, but the voice will remain the same.
Irving first had the idea for the novel in 1998 and spent time traveling in Europe to research it. In his travels, he visited with several tattoo artists and organists, even trying his own hand at the art of tattooing. Although he had the story in his head, he didn’t begin writing the book until 2001.
“I knew the story but I didn’t know what voice to tell it in,” Irving said. “I need to know the end of a story before I write the first sentence.”
His writing style was well accepted by many students in the audience.
“I thought that his writing style and his way of storytelling was very unique,” junior English major Raven Gosney said.
Another English major, Dara Salem, was also impressed with the way he told the story.
“It was very informal and very conversational, but at the same time you could tell he is a master of the language,” Salem said.
After the reading, Irving answered a few questions from the audience, mainly about his screenplays. He said he usually doesn’t feel like adapting his novels into screenplays but occasionally sees a movie in the story as soon as he finishes the book. In addition, Irving has also worked on screenplays that inspired novels or stood alone.
The Tate Lecture was only a part of Irving’s two-day visit to SMU. Today at 9:30 a.m. in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center, he will take part in a panel discussion on contemporary fiction and film. The Tate American Airlines Academic Summit Roundtable will also feature SMU faculty.
Earlier Tuesday there was a student forum in the Hughes-Trigg Students Center for SMU students as well as students from local high schools. A video of the forum can be found at www.tateseries.com.
