Those starting to compile their fall reading lists would
be well-advised to attend the second installment of MacDowell Downtown. On October
3, 2002, our newest local program will feature a writer whose recent book has
been cited by more than one critic as one of the best of the year. Mary-Beth
Hughes, who will close out her recent book tour in Peterborough, will read
from her novel Wavemaker II. She will also be on hand to take questions
and sign limited copies of her book. Once again, MacDowell Downtown will begin
at 7:30 pm at the Peterborough Historical Society. It is free and open to the
public.
Before making a name for herself with Wavemaker II, Hughes
published short fiction in such prestigious journals as Ploughshares
and The Georgia Review. Turning to the novel form, she says,
“gave her the opportunity to work on bigger things. Short stories
tend to be about contemporary manners…novels give you perspective.”
It is perspective that Wavemaker II grapples with most. The
novel surrounds New York in the summer of 1964, a time Hughes believes
America verged on radical change. Specifically, the novel deals with
the tumultuous downfall of Roy Cohn, the infamous litigator of the
Rosenberg trial and the McCarthy hearings, and his friend Will Clemens,
the only witness to refuse to testify against Cohn out of loyalty
even though it meant his own disgrace. In resurrecting this history,
Hughes explores the polarities of America through the Clemens family
and the haunting presence of Cohn. Ambition, innocence, politics and
ethics, self-invention, and integrity occupy the core of this book.
In a recent review, noted novelist and fellow MacDowell artist Donald
Antrim wrote, “This is a book full of that special brand of American
hopefulness and optimism that [run] people ragged.”
Hughes, soft-spoken, judicious, at times ethereal, says this novel
felt “like an elegy.” Having grown up in New York, then
returning there in the late-70s after a long expatriate stay in London,
provided her with a duality she had not expected. In order to understand
the New York of her childhood and the one of her adulthood, she sought
out a story that could contain the tensions and forces that catalyzed
both.
Enlisting history is a powerful tool for Hughes, not only because
of the perspective it lends but also because history is rife with
the small, personal stories that hint at universal struggles. At MacDowell,
she is beginning her second novel, which once again incorporates history.
But she will not elaborate. “It’s too gossamer at this point,”
she smiles. But if Wavemaker II is any indication, the new
book will also make it onto reading lists.
For more information, contact
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