Calliope Author Readings

James Jones, who served in combat in the Pacific in World War II, creates a scene of confusion and brutal devastation....

From the poignant novel about a troubled Southern family, written when he was 26, William Styron reads with tenderness about the disabled younger child finding joy in the magic tricks of a workman....

James Baldwin reading from Another Country and Giovanni's Room; WIlliam Styron reading from Lie Down in Darkness....

In the first passage James Baldwin reads with passion about the suicide of a young black man in despair....

James Baldwin gives an electrifying reading about a young gay American in Paris recalling a dramatic and transforming incident from his boyhood, as he struggles to accept his sexual identity....

Nelson Algren brings a deeply personal tone to his reading about Sophie, the doomed wife of card dealer and drug addict Frankie Machine, wanted for murder, as she waits futilely for him to return home....

The young John Updike’s portrayal of a haughty seminary student working as a lifeguard is witty and poetic....

James Jones brings powerful emotion and expression to his reading of the famous passage from his celebrated World War II novel....

Playing three roles with verve, Philip Roth gives a hilariously comic performance of two old men living in a cheap rooming house....

Nelson Algren reading from The Man With the Golden Arm, James Jones reading from The Thin Red Line....

Two old Jews, a landlord and tenant battling over a cheap apartment, are transformed from arch-enemies into companions in grief....