Crowds waited in silent anticipation to greet the author of the evening. T.C. Boyle entered with his commanding presence, leaving the audience under the spell of his creative prose.
Tom Coraghessan Boyle, at the nearly packed-to-capacity Columbus College of Art and Design’s Thurber House Evening with the Authors, appeared before an audience prepared to greet the diversely talented author. After a brief and glowing introduction by Brian Lindamood, everyone waited for the wiry, red-haired Irish author to open the evening with his comments.
Introducing his latest work, “Drop City,” a novel about a hippie commune in Alaska, there was no doubt who commanded the evening. After a brief introduction about the hippie culture, Boyle described his research and his trip to Alaska prior to writing his novel. Pointing to the incredibly original front cover, Boyle began to describe the significance of the eight hippies laying naked, arms interlocked, laying face-down amid a field of flowers.
“These are naked hippies, which came from an original archival photo. In the photo, two males buttocks are discernible — I believe it’s Saddam and Bush in their hippie days,” Boyle said
In the story, Ronnie, a 22-year-old burnt-out hippie, describes his daily life, his questions and his passions. Reading several passages from the book, Boyle portrayed the burning questions of peace among carnivores and vegetarians.
Bringing the ideology of hippies alive amid the pages, mothers feed their children acid in their orange juice, and women, after a drug-induced sleep, wake up unwittingly next to a man. The commentary on war, the drugs — and yes — the free love, are all present in his hippie commune. “Drop City” unfolds, focusing around its main characters Star, Ronnie, Marco, Mary and Jiminy.
The most amazing parts of Boyle was his work, humor and how readily he held the attention of the audience. Boyle, who has won three O’Henry Awards, the Prix Medicis Etranger and a PEN-Faulkner Award, leaves a lasting impression on audiences and students alike. He teaches fictional writing at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, but how he has time to teach amid such a hectic writing and touring schedule is anyone’s guess.
“I really love my teaching; it’s just a part of my life. It’s what I want to do,” Boyle said.
“When I was 21 and graduated from college, I didn’t have anything to do in New York. It gave me structure at a time that I was disassociated. I learned how to command an audience,” he said.
Learning this invaluable skill in a “ghetto school,” as he puts it, he taught children with special needs. It was during this foundational time of his life that he realized his passion for educating students. While teaching at USC every Friday this quarter, Boyle finished “Drop City” and is in the midst of his next novel.
“Before as authors, we were writing for ourselves and we didn’t know whether a person liked the book or not. Now, people are listening — it’s pretty frightening because I hear feedback before the books are out,” he said.
In the middle of a grueling tour schedule, Boyle said he’s pained since he isn’t working on his next book. He views himself as a workaholic, and when asked how he is capable of accomplishing so much, he said he was “happily born caffeinated,” though he’s careful about getting eight hours of sleep every night.
T.C. Boyle, a man of immense talent and wit, has been hailed by the New York Times as “one of the most inventive and verbally exuberant writers of his generation.” Whether that’s the case or not, his imagery is astounding, and his mind is always looking for another story to write.
“I love to do this … this is my gig,” he said.
