Author Pat Conroy will be in Augusta on Wednesday for a book signing in support of his novel South of Broad .
It is Mr. Conroy's first novel in 14 years. It was released in August.
In the book, narrator Leopold Bloom King becomes a part of an unlikely group of teens growing up in Charleston, S.C. in the 1960s, which includes twins from a troubled home, two socialites and a pair of runaways. They remain friends as the story jumps into the 1980s and are called into action to find a missing member.
Mr. Conroy said he wanted to write about lasting friendships.
"What we have now is this extraordinary shared history," he said. "I think they deepen because you have more shared experience, both good and bad. You go to the baptism, you go to the funerals, you go to the weddings, sometimes testifying in divorces."
Charleston is the key to the story's form, Mr. Conroy said during a phone interview Monday.
"I think it's a Charleston story, and I think if I set it in Topeka, Kansas, it would be a totally different novel."
He seeks the "spirit of place" in each city. He recalls exploring the Augusta area, finding Olde Town, Augusta's Broad Street, the canal, an Episcopal church.
"I think geography plays a crucial part ... and the South seems to stamp its mark on every single person that goes through here or grows up here."
His love of Charleston began in high school, when a teacher brought him "south of Broad," the area that inspired a literary goal he met with his new book.
"I would write a novel before I die in which Charleston would be one of the main characters, and South of Broad became that book," he said.
As in many of Mr. Conroy's past novels, the main character doesn't have an easy life. He's dealing with the ripples caused by his younger brother's suicide. It's a feeling Mr. Conroy understands.
"I'm sure I took a lot from my brother killing himself," he said. "I remember the panic that went through the family, the grief that went through."
South of Broad marks a departure for Mr. Conroy in his depiction of fathers.
"Jasper King is the first father I've written about in my life who was a good father. I found it a great pleasure to write about a guy who adored his son completely," he said. "I found it a very calming, possibly a very healing thing just to write about a guy who was good at it. Who was kind at it. Who approached his son without clenched fists."
Mr. Conroy said it's important to look back in telling a story.
"Childhood is the bedrock of everything," he said. "Because dad beat me, something inside me is always going to be a beaten, ruined boy."
He says this book is his favorite, because it's the most recently written. He can remember the pain and effort of creation.
He hopes the book will make readers think of their families, friends and lives, but he mostly wants them to enjoy it.
"What a novel does to me, it's a secret into the meaning of life. And if someone can use my book that way, it will make me happy."
Reach Sarah Day Owen at (706) 823-3223 or sarah.owen@augustachronicle.com.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Book signing
WHEN: 7-10 p.m. Wednesday
WHERE: Borders Books & Music, 257 Robert C. Daniel Jr. Parkway
MORE INFO: Mr. Conroy will sign up to two books (no personalization), which must include South of Broad and may include one other title.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Fantastic. My favorite author and Charleston is MY city. Love it.
In my opinion he is a fool, a self-confessed hippie draft-dodger and anti-war protestor during Vietnam (though he now purports to wish he had served...), very anti-military, a bleeding heart limousine liberal and a very poor writer. From p. 3 of his latest, South of Broad: "At night, he would take my brother Steve and I [should be "me"] out into [should be "in"] the boat to the middle of Charleston Harbor..." His prose is turgid and sloppy; his dialogue artificial, and his plots laughable. His writing falls somewhere between Hallmark cards and Harlequin romances and his books are a tribute to H. L. Mencken's aphorism "No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public". I won't waste my time going to see him or reading any more of his books, and I think anyone who, like me, is proud to have served in the military or who values good writing does not hold him in high regard. No personalization in the books? In other words he is too busy to write "To Aunt Edith" above his signature. This is just a mercenary bookselling trip.
Thank you, Dixieman, for pointing out the grammatical errors by an author who should know better. I, too, am unimpressed with this book.
LOL Dixie I am with you ...I would rather read Dan Brown and laugh ot his silliness....by the way great review of Mr. Browns new "comedy" in Time Magazine.
An author's military service or lack thereof has little bearing on his prose. Conroy's characters have depth; his plots, complexity without confusion and his language, a richness unmatched by many contemporary authors. Nit-pick if you must but this book is perfectly weighted and a joy to read. South of Broad is the best book I've read all year and while Dan Brown makes for a good read, Conroy's make for good lit as well.
peruseing, Dan Brown has got me all confused. Did Jesus and Mary Magdalene ever get a divorce? If so, which one got custody of the kids? These ol' literary masterpieces are too complex for lil ol moi.
Much of the Harrisburg neighborhood is South of Broad St. Most of the movers and shakers live South of Broad. In time the South of Broad residential area will be known as the better part of Augusta. The Nuisance Property Ordinance is going to make Augusta wonderful! As downtown Augusta stands now it is headed down the gutter.
Thank you, eachone. And your thoughts on South American pottery?
lol.
I've always loved Conroy's books, especially Lords of Discipline, Prince of Tides and My Losing Season, so I was excited about reading South of Broad. Unfortunately, I didn't find it up to his usual standards. Don't let this be the only book of his you ever read. You won't be disappointed.
I have two separate -- wholly separate -- reasons for not welcoming him to Augusta. There are a lot of writers I like who were antiwar, and a lot of patriots who can't write their way out of a paper bag. Conroy is a REALLY bad writer, full of sentimental mush, poorly expressed. But if you like Dan Brown and Conroy I am afraid we will just have to agree to disagree. When you get done with their books come on over and you can read the soup can labels in my kitchen cabinets -- clearer expression, better prose and more interesting plots no matter how the cans are arranged.
Finding fault with a great writer about grammar is like criticizing the owner of a magnificent house because the man who painted the trim missed a spot or two. It's the editors job to catch the mistakes, not the author's. I can assure you Conroy can write grammatically correct circles around all of us. It's trite to find fault that way. Besides, he could bring the ball upcourt against Florida State.
Riverman1 - sorry, but bad grammar and obvious mistakes like those quoted have the effect of breaking the illusion -- the "willing suspension of disbelief" -- that every author tries to achieve. They disrupt the flow of the book, distract the reader and bring us crashing back to the real world, losing the deep involvement in the book which marks great literature. These are fatal, not trivial, flaws.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion as far as Conroy's writing goes, but you shouldn't hate the man. He is open and friendly and a real gentleman. How he survived his childhood without going totally mad is beyond me. I adore Pat Conroy, as do most people who have ever spent time around him. His gentleness and graciousness can't be faulted.
Lost cause - please go read Joe Queenan's latest book about his horrific childhood. He is an infinitely better writer than Conroy.