The Newark Public Library has announced that Robert A. Caro will deliver the second annual lecture in the Philip Roth Lecture Series. Established in 2016, the series honors Mr. Roth, his roots in Newark and contributions to the city, including his planned gift of over 3,500 personal volumes to the Library. Mr. Caro, everywhere acclaimed for his inspired research and profound understanding of character and the dynamics of power, was personally selected by Mr. Roth to deliver the lecture. It will focus on the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and President Johnson’s use of presidential power. The event will take place at the Newark Public Library on Thursday, September 28, from 6-8 p.m.
Each year, the Library invites one literary luminary to deliver the Philip Roth Lecture. Celebrated novelist, Zadie Smith, who is lauded for her ability to capture the voices of racial and immigrant groups, gave the inaugural lecture in 2016. Intended to inspire a new generation of young readers and writers, the lecture series is an example of the high caliber, relevant programming that the Newark Public Library develops.
“It is an extraordinary honor to have Mr. Caro, one of America’s finest biographers, deliver a lecture at the Newark Public Library, which has its own rich history,” said Jeffrey Trzeciak, Newark Public Library Director. “Our Philip Roth Lecture Series is designed to appeal to anyone with an interest in American literature and history, and I urge everyone to attend this memorable event.”
In honor of Caro’s 2017 Philip Roth Lecture at the Newark Public Library, Audible, another Newark landmark, will offer Caro’s Audible Original On Power free through October 31st. On Power offers a timely reflection on those who wield power and those on whom it is wielded.
Mr. Caro has been awarded virtually every literary prize, including two Pulitzer Prizes in Biography, three National Book Critics Circle Awards and two National Book Awards, one for Lifetime Achievement. In 2010, President Barack Obama awarded Mr. Caro the National Humanities Medal.
Born and raised in New York City, Mr. Caro graduated from Princeton University and was later a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. He lives in New York City with his wife, well-known historian and writer, Ina Caro.
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