Lecture & Discussion

»Tinkers«

Paul Harding, American author and Winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Price

Moderated by David Eisermann, Independent Author and Moderator

Amerika Haus e.V. NRW, in conjunction with Luchterhand Publishing, invited to a lecture and a discussion with the American writer, Paul Harding.

Paul Harding emerged with his 2009 debut novel “Tinkers“ in German. Tinkers then became a big hit and thus was awarded in 2010 with the Pulitzer Prize, the most famous American award for literature. On the occasion of his brief visit to Germany, we were pleased to invite Paul Harding to Bonn to hear remarks on his book and engage in a discussion with the author.

In his book, Harding tells the story of Howard Crosby, the tinker. Howard Crosby was the great-grandfather of the watchmaker, George Washington Crosby. As he is dying, the vivid memories of George’s life - and of his grandfather, who traveled through Maine on foot as a tinker - come back to him. The book takes one away to the Northeast (New England) of the USA and allows one to become part of protagonists’ feelings.

Paul Harding studied English at the University of Massachusetts. Before he devoted himself entirely to literature, he was a musician and toured from 1990 to 1997 with his band “Cold Water Flat“ on both sides of the Atlantic through the USA and Europe. Encouraged by his workshop teacher, Marilynne Robinson—herself a Pulitzer Prize winner—he participated in the Iowas Writers’ Workshop and from here, published short stories in Shakepainter and The Harvard Review. Today he teaches creative writing at Harvard University and lives with his wife and two sons in the Boston area. At the moment, he is writing a sequel.