Esquire Writers Symposium

Description

Panel discussions on the role of American writers in society.

Part One: Esquire Writers' Symposium was initiated at Columbia University in 1958. The title of the program and the topic of discussion is the role of the writer in America. Discussion with Wright Morris, Leslie Fiedler, Saul Bellow and Dorothy Parker. The tape begins with an intro by an unnamed moderator and consists of a series of speakers at the symposium. Saul Bellow stated that it is not the writer's job to create the optimum conditions for his art and his concept of the writer's role. Dorothy Parker is on the recording at Parker disagrees with banning the term "creativity" and asserts that "the beat generation is not bad writing, it's just not writing."

Part Two: Esquire Writers' 1959 Symposium took place in Iowa and includes moderators Ralph Ellison, Mark Harris, Dwight McDonald and Norman Mailer. Discussion about the role of the writer as artist.

Broadcast date

1958

Program Length

130 minutes

Archive number

BB0755.01-03

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