American Rhapsody | Claudia Roth Pierpont, Jonathan Galassi | Art and Literature Series Event

From the shattered gentility of Edith Wharton's heroines to racial confrontation in the songs of Nina Simone, American Rhapsody presents a kaleidoscopic story of the creation of a culture, and raises fascinating questions all along the way. Was Orson Welles the twentieth century’s greatest interpreter of Shakespeare? What inspired the Chrysler Building’s glorious crown? How did the failure of Porgy and Bess affect George Gershwin? The arc of our racial history from Bert Williams's blackface performances to James Baldwin's prophetic thoughts about a black presidency are also part of this event with authors Claudia Roth Pierpont and Jonathan Galassi discussing American problems and American genius.

This new book American Rhapsody presents a series of deeply involving portraits of American artists and innovators who have helped to shape the country in the modern age.