2008 Woodie Awards
Clarkson Professor Owen Brady Finds the Meaning of Home
Michael Stridsberg
Issue date: 4/3/06 Section: Web Content
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When a writer references home, what exactly do they mean? This was just one of the questions Owen Brady attempted to answer this past Wednesday, in a colloquium entitled "'Home' in Walter Mosley's Fiction.
Brady, an associate professor of Humanities at Clarkson, presented a general overview of Walter Mosley's fiction from 1990 onward, giving basic details of his books and writing genres. He then moved into the focus of his talk, concluding that "home" ultimately has several different definitions in life and in Mosley's work. Each definition has a major significance to it, and sometimes multiple definitions apply in the same situation.
Walter Mosley is one of the best-known modern African American writers. He has written 22 books since 1990, frequently appearing on bestseller lists and winning awards such as the Ainsfield Wolf Award and the O'Henry award for short fiction. Mosley is perhaps most well-known for his series of mysteries featuring the character Easy Rawlins, beginning with Devil In A Blue Dress and including Black Betty and A Little Yellow Dog. A second mystery series was recently started featuring Paris Minton. Mosley has also branched into science fiction, including his most recent novel Fortunate Son. He also has delved into the field of interconnected short stories, highlighted by two volumes featuring the ex-con Socrates Fortlow.
Brady cited Mosley's mystery series as example of his use of "blues" fiction - making references and allusions to while capturing the feel of the musical form. He also noted the use of African American history as a metaphor for all of America, using both themes and specific events. His science fiction books build on this form, using futuristic events as a social critique of the present world in which we live.
After giving this background, Brady moved into his analysis of "home." He presented three different usages of the word, explaining what they mean and how they are present in Mosley's work. The first definition involves home as a place of origin or homeland. This sense of the word gives it both a social and a historical dimension; being from America (or any other country) gives one certain linguistic and physical behaviors, as well as certain values and ideas passed along through history. Mosley reflects this by having the material habitat of his characters change whenever their values and behaviors change, as well as other's perception of them.
Brady, an associate professor of Humanities at Clarkson, presented a general overview of Walter Mosley's fiction from 1990 onward, giving basic details of his books and writing genres. He then moved into the focus of his talk, concluding that "home" ultimately has several different definitions in life and in Mosley's work. Each definition has a major significance to it, and sometimes multiple definitions apply in the same situation.
Walter Mosley is one of the best-known modern African American writers. He has written 22 books since 1990, frequently appearing on bestseller lists and winning awards such as the Ainsfield Wolf Award and the O'Henry award for short fiction. Mosley is perhaps most well-known for his series of mysteries featuring the character Easy Rawlins, beginning with Devil In A Blue Dress and including Black Betty and A Little Yellow Dog. A second mystery series was recently started featuring Paris Minton. Mosley has also branched into science fiction, including his most recent novel Fortunate Son. He also has delved into the field of interconnected short stories, highlighted by two volumes featuring the ex-con Socrates Fortlow.
Brady cited Mosley's mystery series as example of his use of "blues" fiction - making references and allusions to while capturing the feel of the musical form. He also noted the use of African American history as a metaphor for all of America, using both themes and specific events. His science fiction books build on this form, using futuristic events as a social critique of the present world in which we live.
After giving this background, Brady moved into his analysis of "home." He presented three different usages of the word, explaining what they mean and how they are present in Mosley's work. The first definition involves home as a place of origin or homeland. This sense of the word gives it both a social and a historical dimension; being from America (or any other country) gives one certain linguistic and physical behaviors, as well as certain values and ideas passed along through history. Mosley reflects this by having the material habitat of his characters change whenever their values and behaviors change, as well as other's perception of them.