The Greatness of Prose
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There is nothing striking about her appearance. She is a woman of modest stature with black shoulder-length hair and dark brown eyes. Yet the greatness of her spirit is apparent before she even says a single word. It has been this spectacular spirit that has propelled her to become one of the leading writers of our time – having published over 20 books of fiction, nonfiction, and short stories. The spirit of Francine Prose is full of freedom, exploration, and an admiration for the never-ending surprises of everyday life.
Surprise is how Prose chose to begin the first event of the Sidney Harman Writer-in-Residence Program’s second decade. After a few opening words from Roslyn Bernstein, the director of the Harman program, and Dean Jeffery Peck as well as an introduction from English Professor John Brenkman, Prose defied everyone’s expectations by choosing to read one of her older short stories instead of an excerpt from her new book Goldengrove. Prose said that the reason for this last minute change was that after completing a book tour for Goldengrove, which included 30 to 40 book readings, it was no longer fun. Instead, Prose read a short story called “Hansel and Gretel” from a collection of her short stories named The Peaceable Kingdom. After reading the dark and enigmatic story, Prose revealed that it was based on her own life experience – an event related to her first marriage.
The reading was followed by a Q&A session during which the members of the audience got to experience more of Prose’s free spirit. In reply to one question, she said that she liked writing fiction because “you have all this liberty and you have so many surprises,” but Prose also warned that “with a novel it’s scarier because you can hit a wall.” She revealed that she became a writer because she could not do anything else but write. Although she had experimented with careers in her youth, such working as a filing clerk in an office, her love of reading in her youth drove her to become a full-time writer.
The reading and conversation with Francine Prose event showcased not only Prose’s brilliant mind and dazzling spirit, but it also displayed the success of the Harman Program. The Sidney Harman Writer-in-Residence, which was started in 1998, invites writers of various genres to teach a writing course at Baruch. With the coming of each semester, Baruch students look forward to the coming of a new professional. Dean Peck described the program as a “jewel in the crown” of Baruch College.
