Francine Prose

            After a grueling five week long tour promoting her new book “Goldengrove” it is understandable that Ms. Francine Prose would want to take a break and do a reading of another one of her pieces. The short story that Ms. Prose read, entitled “Hansel and Gretel” is very amusing and fantastical story. The main character, Polly, is in a very bizarre situation, to say the least. It is surprising that it was actually based on a situation that the author was in. The title and the beginning of the story do not seem to match. It is not until later that the audience understands the connection to the children’s story of “Hansel and Gretel”.

Ms. Prose talked about her writing style and philosophy and it was evident that she lives by her words.  She said that as a writer you can “borrow from your life”, which is demonstrated in the “Hansel and Gretel” story where a woman “tortured me for an entire weekend.” She finds that “fiction is more fun” and she enjoys that with fiction you “have liberty” to write as you please. She commented on the strange coincidences that occur in the story and asked, “How could I know messengers of my future were just beyond the hedge?”

Her humble demeanor allowed the audience to be at ease with her. She was open to all questions. I enjoyed the way that she did not take herself too seriously and was willing to joke and laugh about herself. Francine Prose had a very good sense of humor and I really felt like I knew her on a more personal level. She was very relatable and I liked that she was not egotistical like some writers would be.