Local literary history in 2017 Big Read

Ten years ago the National Endowment for the Humanities launched a program called The Big Read, to emphasize the central role of reading in arts and culture. It started with 10 communities, and now there are more than 1,300 Big Read programs, including a very popular annual series of events here.

The 2017 Big Read will have considerably more local significance than most: Its subject this year is the classic novel “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” and its author, Columbus native Carson McCullers.

This is not only an obviously appropriate place to celebrate the work of McCullers, but also an appropriate time: 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of her birth. And for more than a month, the life and writings of this American literary icon will be the subject of exhibits, lectures, readings, films, discussions, art works, music, live performances … all free and open to the public and at a wide variety of venues.

The whole celebration begins 7 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Columbus Museum, where New Yorker magazine critic Hilton Als, author of “Unhappy Endings: The Collected Carson McCullers,” will lecture on McCullers’ career.

Another highlight will be the Feb. 19 world premier, at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, of “A Tree. A Rock. A Cloud,” a film based on the McCullers short story, produced and directed by actor-director Karen Allen (“Animal House,” “Starman,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “The Perfect Storm”). The next day, Allen will talk about her career and her approach to McCullers on the main campus of Columbus State University.

Other sessions will be led by Nick Norwood, director of CSU’s Carson McCullers Center, Feb. 7 at the Museum; and Columbus historian and author and retired CSU professor Virginia Causey Feb. 9 at the Columbus Public Library, to name but two of many.

The library will also host four “Saturday Matinees” — three film adaptations of McCullers novels and a documentary.

The above is just a small sampling of what the 2017 Big Read in Columbus has to offer, all at no cost. For more details consult the Columbus Public Library website at www.cvlga.org.

Principal sponsors of this McCullers Centennial are CSU’s Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians and the Chattahoochee Valley Libraries, with the support of the NEA, Georgia Humanities and the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

A lot of people have been, and will be, expending a great deal of time, money and effort in a large-scale undertaking to highlight an internationally prominent local figure of literature, history and culture. All events will be open to the public and none will cost a dime. There should be something in this generous and varied buffet of events and attractions to appeal to just about everyone.

This story was originally published December 29, 2016 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Local literary history in 2017 Big Read."