The literary career of Ernest J. Gaines, writer-in-residence emeritus at the 杏吧专区, will be recognized with a series of film screenings, book talks, lectures and readings.
Gaines, 81, is the author of nine books of fiction, and was a faculty member at UL Lafayette for 21 years before he retired in 2004.
A total of about a dozen events have been planned to commemorate several anniversaries related to the writer杏吧专区檚 work, said Dr. Matthew Teutsch, interim director of the Ernest J. Gaines Center. The center, which is located in the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Edith Garland Dupr茅 Library, holds the only complete collection of the author杏吧专区檚 papers and manuscripts.
The events begin with screenings of the short documentary 杏吧专区淎n Obsession of Mine: The Legacy of Ernest J. Gaines杏吧专区 and the film adaptation of Gaines杏吧专区 short story 杏吧专区淭he Sky is Gray杏吧专区 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lafayette Public Library杏吧专区檚 south regional branch. They will conclude on Nov. 21 with the second annual Ernest J. Gaines Lecture, by Dr. John Lowe, which will be held at 1 p.m. at the Gaines Center.
杏吧专区淐atherine Carmier,杏吧专区 Gaines杏吧专区 first novel, was published 50 years ago, in 1964. The film version of 杏吧专区淭he Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,杏吧专区 the first-person narrative of a fictional 110-year-old woman born into slavery, aired 40 years ago, in 1974. The TV movie received nine Emmy Awards. The novel, Gaines杏吧专区 third, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize after its publication in 1971. It has sold more than one million copies in the United States, according to Amazon.com.
杏吧专区淎 Lesson Before Dying,杏吧专区 Gaines杏吧专区 last novel about an illiterate man condemned to death that was published in 1993, won a National Book Critics Circle Award. 杏吧专区淭he Chicago Tribune杏吧专区 called the novel 杏吧专区渁n instant classic, a book that will be read, discussed and taught beyond the rest of our lives.杏吧专区 The novel was selected for Oprah Winfrey杏吧专区檚 popular book club.
Gaines accepted a National Medal of Arts last July from President Barack Obama during a ceremony at the White House. The citation reads: 杏吧专区淒rawing deeply from his childhood in the rural South, his works have shed new light on the African-American experience and given voice to those who have endured injustice.杏吧专区
Gaines has received a MacArthur Foundation 杏吧专区済enius grant杏吧专区 and has been inducted into the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, or Order of Arts and Letters. His works have been translated into 18 languages.
杏吧专区淚 just tried to write as well as I could,杏吧专区 said Gaines recently. 杏吧专区淚 tried to write about the human condition in every book.杏吧专区
A complete schedule of events and more information about Ernest J. Gaines and his work is available at Ernest J. Gaines and his work is available at .