BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Library Market//iCal Export//EN BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Author Talk: Francine Prose, "Five Weeks in the Country" UID:102087 DTSTAMP:20260418T140900Z DTSTART:20260520T230000Z DTEND:20260521T000000Z LOCATION:1441 Post Road, Darien, CT 06820, United States ROOM: Heron Room DESCRIPTION:Darien Library is excited to welcome author, Francine Prose, w ho will discuss her new book, Five Weeks in the Country, a sharply observe d and utterly original reimagining of the summer when Hans Christian Ander sen became Charles Dickens’s ill-fated houseguest. With the precision an d emotional intelligence that distinguish her work, Prose transforms a pec uliar historical episode into a vivid exploration of artistic ambition, eg o, family, and the private crises even the most public figures cannot esca pe. Francine will be in conversation with local editor, Demetra Ganias.Abo ut the BookIn the summer of 1857, when British newspapers warned of an app roaching comet about to destroy the earth, an unusual-looking stranger arr ived at Charles Dickens’s home, Gad’s Hill, in the countryside outside London. Dickens had met Hans Christian Andersen at a dinner party a decad e before and, in a moment of desperation, had invited him to visit.The vis it did not go well. The eccentric Danish author of classic fairy tales, wh o barely spoke English, outstayed his welcome and alienated the Dickens ho usehold, which included nine children. Even the oblivious, self-conscious Andersen sensed the increasing tension between Dickens and his unhappy wif e, Catherine, but was slow to understand—or to believe—that Dickens ha d fallen in love with a young actress appearing in his new play. For Ander sen, those five weeks became a cascade of social mistakes and embarrassmen ts, but ultimately a lesson in how life’s most humbling experiences can be transformed into art. On her inspiration for the novel, Prose says, In 1857, Hans Christian Andersen visited Charles Dickens, his wife and ni ne children in the British countryside for five comically and heartbreakin gly awkward weeks. Telling their story seemed like the perfect way to talk about writing, love, marriage, children and two brilliant authors: a publ ic figure in crisis and a houseguest, more at home in his fairy tales than in life, who overstays his welcome.”About Francine ProseFrancine Prose is the author of twenty-two works of fiction, including The Vixen, Mister Monkey, the New York Times bestseller Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932, A Changed Man, and Blue Angel, a finalist for the National Book Awar d. Her nonfiction includes the modern classic Reading Like a Writer and th e acclaimed memoir 1974: A Personal History. A former president of PEN Ame rica and a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she is widely regarded as one of o ur most insightful and versatile contemporary writers.About Demetra Ganias Demetra Ganias is a sought-after host, public speaking coach, media train er, and the founder of Ganias Media Lab, a public speaking platform where she uses her expertise to propel clients and transform their careers. In a ddition, she is an editor for The Local Moms Network — a media company that gives moms the gift of time. Local Moms offers resources, profiles of moms, and an engaging community to get moms through the ups and downs o f motherhood. URL:https://www.darienlibrary.org/event/author-talk-francine-prose-five-we eks-country-102087 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR