ABOUT THE LIBRARY
2007 McFadden Lecture to be Presented as Memorial to Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Indianapolis' Native Son
April 12, 2007
In tribute to one of the most important literary figures of the past century, the 30th McFadden Memorial Lecture will be presented on Friday, April 27th at 7 p.m. at Clowes Hall on the Butler University campus by Mark Vonnegut, the son of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. who passed away April 11 in New York City.
Other Vonnegut family members will be in attendance as Mark Vonnegut will present the very program his father had planned to give at this year's McFadden Lecture, co-sponsored by the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Foundation, The Patricia Cornwell Foundation and the Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series at Butler University.
The McFadden Lecture is a highlight of the community-wide celebration of "The Year of Kurt Vonnegut," honoring the life, literature and heritage of the legendary author who was born and raised in Indianapolis. The Library and the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission will continue to present special events during this year's celebration.
The lecture will be presented as a tribute to Vonnegut, whose classic work Slaughterhouse-Five was announced on April 11 by Mayor Bart Peterson and the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library as this year's "One Book, One City" title for a shared reading experience throughout the community. A special seven-minute introduction at the lecture will feature Vonnegut's own spoken words from Slaughterhouse-Five.
Mark Vonnegut, who was named by his father after Mark Twain, is a Milton, Massachusetts pediatrician and author of the 1970's bestseller, The Eden Express.
At the event, the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library will pay further tribute to Vonnegut by presenting his son with the first annual Kurt Vonnegut Award, planned as an annual recognition to noted authors who present the McFadden Memorial Lecture.
A copy of Slaugterhouse-Five will be included in a special time capsule event, attended by Mark Vonnegut, to be held on Saturday, April 28 at 11 a.m. at the Indianapolis Artsgarden in the Circle Center Mall downtown in preview of the opening of the transformed Central Library in late 2007. The event is free to the public.
