Novelist Tim O'Brien to present James Jones lecture at Eastern
CHARLESTON – National Book Award winner Tim O'Brien will present the third annual James Jones Lecture at 7 p.m. Friday at the Doudna Fine Arts Center at Eastern Illinois University.
The lecture is part of the James Jones Symposium on Friday and Saturday at EIU.
The lecture series was established until the James Jones Chair in World War II Studies is fully endowed.
O'Brien received the National Book Award in 1978 for his second novel, "Going After Cacciato," the tale of a soldier who decides to run away from the Vietnam War. Also a National Book Award recipient, Jones wrote "From Here To Eternity" and influenced writers like O'Brien, who were combat veterans.
With the theme "Memories of War," the 18th annual James Jones Symposium will begin with O'Brien's lecture and a book signing afterward. Author Kaylie Jones, daughter of James Jones, will also sign books then.
At the symposium on Saturday morning, Kaylie Jones will read from her memoir, "Lies My Mother Never Told Me" and will talk about "War at Home," growing up in the shadow of her father, his experiences in combat and his knowledge of war, the métier for much of his work
Registration for the free symposium begins at 8 a.m. Saturday in the Doudna Fine Arts Center Concourse.
Symposium programs and James Jones Literary Society information will be available, along with details about how to support the Jones Chair.
After a lunch break, Thomas Jones, a Jones Society board member, will discuss his memories of a year in the bush during the Vietnam War with the Third Marine Recon, during which he was wounded and came home and wrote the novel, "Lost Survivor."
The symposium will conclude with a student panel, organized by EIU history Professor Jinhee Lee, titled "World War II Memories in Japan and Beyond." Her work focuses on the competing narratives of collective violence in the early 20th century Japanese empire and colonial Korea.
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