Misstropolis

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

The Mighty PEN

by Robin Hauck

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John F. Kennedy had a thing for Hemingway. He referred to Hemingway’s definition of courage, “grace under pressure,” in the first chapter of his book Profiles in Courage ; and proclaimed after the author’s death, “Few Americans have had a greater impact on the emotions and attitudes of the American people than Ernest Hemingway… He almost single-handedly transformed the literature and the ways of thought of men and women in every country in the world.”

Well, whether his ways of thought or his writing were transformed by Ernest Hemingway (or JFK for that matter) or not, Ben Fountain owes a lot to both. The winner of this year’s Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for a Distinguished First Book of Fiction, for Brief Encounters With Che Guevara, Fountain joins an elite group of authors deemed by the Hemingway Society to be among the most promising authors in the world. Previous winners include Jane Hamilton for The Book of Ruth in 1988; Edward P. Jones for Lost in the City in 1992; Jhumpa Lahiri for Interpreter of Maladies in 1999 and Yiyun Li for A Thousand Years of Good Prayers last year.

Mary Hemingway, Ernest’s third wife, founded the award in 1976 to honor her husband’s memory. As a member of PEN, the largest writers’ organization in the world, she created the award with the organization’s support. Later, Jackie Kennedy Onassis brought the Award from New York to Boston, where the Library and PEN assure it will stay. PEN members over the years have included W. H. Auden, Willa Cather, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Thomas Mann, Arthur Miller, Susan Sontag, and John Steinbeck… an elite group indeed.

PEN New England is the local branch of worldwide PEN. Whether you are a writer looking for a supportive literary scene; a lover of the written word; or simply curious about what’s new with the area’s best writers, publishers and readers, PEN New England has lots to offer. On a global scale, PEN advocates for literacy and defends free expression. In Boston, PEN New England throws book parties and readings of award winning short stories at the A.R.T. - I saw Chris Cooper do a reading a couple years ago that had the entire audience weeping - as well as many other events.

In addition to first books of fiction, PEN N.E. also celebrates authors who write stories set in the area. The L.L. Winship/PEN New England Awards are given annually to New England authors, or books with a New England setting. Judges this year were Rose Moss, Sue Standing, and Bill Roorbach. Previous recipients include E.B. White, Andre Dubus, Susan Cheever, Tracy Kidder, Mary Oliver, Susan Quinn, Jill Ker Conway, Jan Swafford, Anita Shreve, and Stanley Kunitz.

This year, the honorees are just as impressive. For a work of fiction, K.C. Frederick will be honored for Inland; for poetry, Louise Gluck will receive the award for Averno; and for best work of non-fiction, Sebastian Junger will be honored for A Death In Belmont.

On Sunday, April 1 at 3pm at the JFK Presidential Library YOU can be a part of this piece of literary history. Thanks to the Library and The Boston Globe, you can even attend for free. Patrick Hemingway, Ernest’s second son will present the award, and Pulitzer Prize winner Edward P. Jones will be the keynote speaker.

For JFK, Ernest Hemingway symbolized America’s greatness as much as military might or economic dominance. He believed in “the art of politics” and art beyond politics. It seems like such an evolved political perspective can only exist today in re-runs of the West Wing…luckily we have organizations like PEN that allow art to thrive beyond, and despite, politics.

For more information on how to get involved in PEN New England, visit http://www.pen-ne.org/.