What Lies in the Mirror: A Novelist on the Fictions of Identity

A Lecture by Celebrated Author Gregory Maguire

Thursday, March 25, 2004 at 6 pm

Dewey Family Gallery

LINCOLN, MA-Noted author Gregory Maguire has enjoyed runaway success in recent years. His bestselling 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West set in motion a series of books that would retell popular tales from the viewpoint of the traditionally unsympathetic character, upending long-held beliefs on the nature of evil, beauty, morality, justice, and perception by one's self and by others.

For this year's Paul J. Cronin Memorial Lecture, What Lies in the Mirror: A Novelist on the Fictions of Identity, Mr. Maguire will discuss how the cultural material of films, fiction, and autobiography variously disguise and reveal aspects of the world. Central to his remarks will be to question what place the cultural material of childhood-particularly stories-is currently accorded, and why.

Mr. Maguire's literary works have been transformed for both the stage and the screen. The musical version of Wicked enjoyed its Broadway premiere in October 2003 and is considered the biggest new hit of the season; and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, based on the Cinderella tale and set in the period of the Dutch Masters, was filmed for ABC/Disney in 2002. His most recent adult novel, Mirror Mirror, represents an elaborate retelling of the Snow White story, and takes place in the political and cultural context of Renaissance Italy.

DeCordova's annual Paul J. Cronin Memorial Lectures were established in 1981 to consider topics that are broadly focused upon changing attitudes towards contemporary art. They are made possible by a generous grant from the Grover Cronin Memorial Foundation.

Registration Information

Space is limited and reservations are requested. Tickets will be held at the door. The lecture will be held at DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in the Dewey Family Gallery on Thursday, March 25, 2004. Tickets are $5 for Members and $7 for Non-Members. For reservations, please call 781/259-3604. The lecture begins at 6 pm; Museum doors open at 5:30 pm.

About Gregory Maguire

Gregory Maguire received his Ph.D. in English and American Literature at Tufts University (1990). Though best known as a fantasy writer, Mr. Maguire has also written picture books, science fiction, and realistic and historical fiction. He is also a frequent contributor of articles, reviews, and essays to the New York Times Book Review, Boston Review, Christian Science Monitor, The Horn Book Magazine, and other periodicals.

Mr. Maguire has been the recipient of several awards and fellowships. He was artist-in-residence at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, and has received fellowship residencies at Blue Mountain Center, New York; the Hambidge Center, Georgia; The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts; and the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, Vermont. In addition to writing, Mr. Maguire is a national figure in children's literature education, having served as professor and associate director of the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College. Since 1986, he has been co-director and founding board member of Children's Literature New England, Incorporated, a non-profit that focuses attention on the significance of literature in the lives of children.

General Information about DeCordova

DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park is a museum of modern and contemporary American art with a particular emphasis on the work of New England artists. It features the only public sculpture park of its kind in New England and the largest non-degree granting studio art program in the state. DeCordova opened in 1950 on the former estate of Julian de Cordova, a Boston entrepreneur and supporter of the arts.

DeCordova Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm and on selected Monday holidays. Admission is $6 per person, $4 for senior citizens, students, and youth ages 6-12. Children age 5 and under, Lincoln residents, and Active Duty Military Personnel and their dependents are admitted free. The Sculpture Park is open year round during daylight hours and is free. The Store @ DeCordova and the School Gallery are open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, Friday through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday 11:30 am to 5:30 pm. The Café @ DeCordova is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am to 4 pm. Free guided public tours of the Museum's main galleries take place every Thursday at 1 and Sunday at 2 pm. Free tours of the Sculpture Park are given on Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm from May to October. Visit www.decordova.org or call 781/259-8355 for further information.

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