by Joe Tarr
Writer George Garrett has an astonishing bibliography, having published 34 books and edited 25 in every genre, making innovations and garnering numerous accolades and awards.
But probably even more remarkable is how many other writers he's inspired and taught.
Many of those writers will be on hand this week to honor Garrett at the University of Tennessee's Southern Literature Festival.
"We're bringing in 25 to 30 of the country's best writers to Knoxville for three days, many of whom are coming for free or just for expenses," says Allen Wier, UT professor and author. "They're doing this because of how they feel about Garrett and his work. His generosity to writers is legendary, and he's often helped without them knowing about it."
Among the writers attending the event are Henry Taylor, who won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1986, David Madden, Richard and Robert Bausch, Madison Smartt Bell, and David Haynes.
Currently a professor at the University of Virginia, Garrett has taught for more than 40 years, including stints at Princeton, Columbia, the University of Michigan, Bennington College, and Wesleyan.
He's written novels, short stories, essays, poetry, plays, screenplays, translations and critical essays. Some of his most acclaimed work includes a trilogy of Elizabethan fiction—Death of the Fox: A Novel of Elizabeth and Ralegh, The Succession: A Novel of Elizabeth and James, and Entered from the Sun: The Murder of Marlowe—that broke new ground in the historical fiction genre and were all stylistically different. His illustrated poetry collection Welcome to the Medicine Show: Flashcards, Postcards, Snapshots consisted of several short poems that were "silly to sublime," Wier says. He once published a collection of poems, a novel and a book of stories with three different publishers all on the same day, Wier says.
What makes Garrett's writing great is that although it's technically brilliant, he never lets that overwhelm the story.
"You read for narrative lust...while at the same time, you just notice all these incredible things he's doing," Wier says. "On the one hand, with the fiction, it's really good storytelling...you read it to find out what happens to these people. But there are also these very subtle technical advancements. You get a bifocal pleasure."
While many great writers are notoriously bad teachers, Garrett's teaching ability is legendary.
"He's trained more successful writers than anyone else we know. It seemed there were a lot of writers saying, 'I published 20 books because of George,'" says Marilyn Kallet, director of UT's creative writing program, poet and fiction writer.
Garrett taught neither Kallet nor Wier, but Wier has co-taught several seminars with him and has talked with many of his students.
Wier says Garrett's technique is humorous and heavily anecdotal. The anecdotes at first seem irrelevant to some students. "At the moment you're trying to figure out what exactly does this have to do with the question that was raised. Usually afterward it strikes you how apt it was. You think, 'That's why he told the story.' It would tend to reverberate in many ways," Wier says.
Among the events honoring Garrett are a reading of the children's play he's written, Sir Slob and the Princess, readings from his other works, a screening of the film Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster, which was based on a story he wrote. Garrett will speak at the closing banquet Saturday evening.
The literature festival is free to UT students and has been kept as inexpensive as possible for the general public, with a $30 registration fee and $35 for the banquet dinner.
Beyond the events honoring Garrett there will also be several panel discussions and lectures. Taylor will speak Thursday evening.
The theme of "Southern" writing is something that not everyone buys into, Kallet says.
"People will ask whether writers can be 'Southern writers.' We don't talk about Northern writers. Is it something limiting?" Kallet says. "This is an occasion to get everyone together to talk about writing for 2-1/2 days. Anyone who wants to register can," she adds.
For more information, see their website or call 974-0280.
UT hopes to use the festival as a springboard for other Southern literature events, although there are no plans to make the festival an annual one.
Metro Pulse publisher Brian Conley believes that part of the paper's mission is to support arts of all types in the community. Sponsoring the festival is a way to do that. And for this reason, Metro Pulse presents two works of fiction and four poems. Included is an excerpt from Wier's forthcoming novel, The Forsaken, and a short story by Pamela Schoenewaldt. The poems are by Kallet, Daniel Roop, Steve Sparks and Patricia Waters.
October 2, 2003 * Vol. 13, No. 40
© 2003 Metro Pulse
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