Doing something in person and a different topic but im thrilled to be kicking off the festival. Its my honor to introduce three people to you. First is roger whose work has been published in 14 languages. The author of five New York Times notable books of the year and three times bestsellers including the memoirs the boy detective and making toast which was originally an essay in the new yorker. The story im, a collection on the writing life came out in april on life, love and responsibility will be out in october. Rogers also written seven offbroadway plays notably in the oneperson free speech in america but he performed at the american place theatre and which was named one of the times ten best plays of 91. Last spring he performed and played piano which will go to the center for the arts at stony brook in new york next year. He also wrote the screenplay for his bestselling novel that will star doctor channing and currently is in production. Roger is distinguished professor of englis
Texas. Mr. Caro is the author of a four volume biography of the 36th president. Here is the 2003 tour of the lbj library. First time i came here, i was looking for the papers and came around the corner like this. This is what i saw. The only moment in my life, the moment in my life when i felt my quitting. I was really overwhelmed. What you are looking at here the papers of Lyndon Baines johnson, the 36th president of the United States. Pulitzer prize winning author robert caro has been sifting through the millions of papers of Lyndon Johnson for 26 years. Recently booktv joined mr. Caro to learn how he conducts research for his multivolume biography, the years of Lyndon Johnson. During our visit robert caro also spoke at the lbj library for the first time. Over the next two hours youll see parts of thats beach interspersed with abof that speech interspersed with a id be happy to take questions if anybody has a question they would like to ask. Keto is how you came to write about Lyndon
He really knows biography. So when i heard that shelby was establishing a biography center in leons honor i thought perfect. So its a great thought pleasure to be here giving a lecture on him this evening. I have to share this pleasure with a team of researchers who have helpedme on all my books. Thereare rather small team actually. In fact, it consists of only one person. She writes her own books of course but she always finds time to help me with mine. Id like to say thank you to the only person ive everbeen able to trust with my research , the whole team, my wife. [applause] the aspect of biography i want to talk about this evening is something that in my opinion is seldom talked about when we talk about biography. Giving the reader a sense of place. By a sense of place i mean letting the reader see in his minds eye the physical setting in which a books action is occurring. Letting the reader see clearly enough so he feels as if he was there in that place while the action is occurri
Delighted to welcome back robert caro the last time he we visited was 2002. It was unforgettable. The storiess of dead johnson political machine painted the picture of the powerbroker extraordinaire. Like his subject he has no fear. He has spoiled us with a portrait to treat us to the narrative and the diversions of bystanders so rich in detail they might form the basis of future studies in and of themselves. His book as a companion piece to the moses book and today in 2019 more resonant than ever power used for good and against the greater good. As he gives a deep background into the why he does what he does. Why he take so long to crank out the next volume and with every sheet of paper with every file with that essence of political power and with political power the latenight comedy beats to its own drum and without question as one of the funniest guys on the planet. And an armchair president ial scholar and also a robert caro devotee a. He sent regrets and calls the johnson series o
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome fred ryan, chairman, White House Historical Association Board of directors and deborah rudder, president of a the john f. Kennedy center for the performing arts. [applause] good evening, everyone. You will its my pleasure to welcome you to the celebration of the 2018 president ial site summit. The Kennedy Center is the perfect venue for this. Its so fitting because it itself is a president ial site which is dedicated as a living memorial to president john f. Kennedy. And to assure the authentic nature of this historical gathering, the Kennedy Center brought it back to the 1800s in terms of the temperature in washington, d. C. [laughter] and we want thank you for that. [applause] also, weve been given authority from no higher source than the chairman of the board of the john f. Kennedy center for gentlemen and ladies who would like to remove jackets and be more comfortable. So please feel free to do so. This years site summit is the largest gathering