Jonathan Rose, Professor of Book History at Drew University, will present a lecture on the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus at Grant Hall on Wednesday, September 24, 2014.
The English-Speaking Union, Kansas City Branch, and the Theatre, English and History Departments of the University of Missouri-Kansas City are co-sponsoring this lecture program.
When:
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Q&A with Students: 2:30 PM
Reception: 6:00 PM
Lecture: 6:30 PM
Where:
UMKC Campus, Grant Hall, 5227 Holmes St., Kansas City, Mo.
Featured in KC Star Newspaper:
The Kansas City Star newspaper will publish a feature article on Prof. Rose’s new biography in the “Books” section of the Sunday, Sept. 21 edition of the KC Star. Be sure to look for this article and share with friends.
About the Lecture:
In this free lecture, based on his important new biography, The Literary Churchill: Author, Reader, Actor, Professor Jonathan Rose will introduce a Winston Churchill we have not known before and will trace the profound influence of literature and theater on Churchill’s carefully composed grand story as well as on the decisions he made throughout his political life.
He will identify an array of authors who shaped Churchill’s writings and politics, from George Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells to Margaret Mitchell, George Orwell and Oscar Wilde. Professor Rose will investigate the effect of Churchill’s passion for theater on his writing and perhaps most remarkably, he will reveal the influence of Churchill’s reading on every important episode of his public life, including his championship of social reform, plans for the Gallipoli invasion, command during the Blitz, crusade for Zionism, and efforts to prevent a nuclear arms race.
Finally, he will trace the significance of Churchill’s writings to later politicians, among them President John F. Kennedy as he struggled with the Cuban Missile Crisis. In his recent book review for The Times, London, Lawrence James wrote: “Jonathan Rose…has shown how Churchill excelled in the application of language to the exercise of power and concludes that he ‘modeled his politics on literature.’ The proof is abundant and well presented in this excellent, thorough and enjoyable biography that adds a fresh and fascinating dimension to a great statesman.”