Susan Sontag
April 21–22, 2003
- Reading: Streaming video (1 hour, 6 minutes)
- Discussion: Streaming video (1 hour, 23 minutes), segmented discussion
- See the Kelly Writers House calendar entry for more about this event
- 2003 Fellows seminar notes
Bio
Susan Sontag, art critic, essayist and theorist, and novelist, is among
the most influential writers and thinkers in the U.S. She first gained
attention for her brilliant essay, "Notes on Camp" (1964), and the book in
which it appeared with other provocative pieces, Against
Interpretation. She is best known for her cultural analyses such as
On Photography (1976) and Illness as Metaphor (1978), but
she has written four novels, including The Volcano Lover (1992) and
In America (2000). For In America she won the National Book
Award.
Segmented Discussion:
- Introduction (2:59): MP3
- on the photographic ending of "Regarding the Pain of Others" (15:48): MP3
- the addictive-model reality (8:31): MP3
- the physical spaces of writing: her library and New York City (5:29): MP3
- conversion at sticks: the need for narration & promoting the inner life (10:02): MP3
- on the essay (5:25): MP3
- on choosing not to be at university (6:18): MP3
- against interpretation (5:30): MP3
- on essayists and the subject of their essays (6:08): MP3
- on her post 9-11 essay (7:16): MP3
- on In America (9:37): MP3
complete reading: (1:22:57): MP3
Susan Sontag's praise for the Writers House MP3
Also available: A. O. Scott, "The Critical Gaze" (an article about Susan Sontag)