History came alive yesterday as Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edmund Morris spoke on the intellect and persona of former President Theodore Roosevelt.
Addressing a group of faculty and students at the Penn Humanities Forum, Morris discussed Theodore Rex, the second book in his three-volume biography of Roosevelt. The third volume has not yet been published.
The first book in the trilogy was published in 1979 and won a Pulitzer Prize and American Book Award. Last November, the latest installment reached the top position on the New York Times bestseller list.
"A lot of trees have been slain... just to get the good reviews out," said English Professor Paul Hendrickson of the second volume while introducing Morris.
"I knew pretty well right away it had to be three books," Morris commented on his chronological retrospective on Roosevelt. "Roosevelt's life naturally fell into that shape."
Volume one ends with what Morris terms a "fitting literary cliffhanger," leaving the reader with the image of then-Vice President Roosevelt awaiting the news that President William McKinley was dead after being shot by an assassin. The second volume chronicles Roosevelt's years in the Oval Office, while the third volume will detail the final ten years of Roosevelt's life.
"It is commonplace to believe that we have a rather richer culture than our forbearers did.... Well, do we?" Morris asked his audience.
In researching the former president, Morris said he was continually impressed by the depth of Roosevelt's intellect.
"One could not stop his mind from effervescing... he read up to three books a day and was able to memorize long passages," he said.
Morris admitted that as a conversationalist, Roosevelt was "loquacious," yet he believes Roosevelt's undying support of the fine arts rivaled that of Thomas Jefferson. Roosevelt embraced poetry, drama and art, integrating it into the daily life of the White House.
"All of these aspects of him as a president are ancillary to his political gifts," Morris said.
Morris has a non-traditional style of writing, never using a computer to write his initial manuscripts.
"It is important to maintain a tactile relationship with your work," Morris said. "To watch words come out of the pen and feel the paper under your fingers... it's an intimate relationship."
Wharton senior Michael Krouse said he admires Morris' ability, but would not be able abandon the computer.
"It's a great idea, but I am far too socialized to go back to using a pen," he said.
Morris said he has been writing novels since he was ten years old, yet he believes that writing the prologue to the first volume of his Theodore Roosevelt trilogy -- which documents Roosevelt's rise to power --taught him how to write.
After his discussion, Morris autographed his books for excited students.
"I think he is a brilliant man and very eloquent. His talk was fascinating, " remarked College senior and Daily Pennsylvanian staff member Donna Hogan, who asked Morris to sign her copy of Dutch, his biography of Ronald Reagan.
Morris' visit was coordinated by the Penn Humanities Forum in conjunction with the Creative Writing Program.
