Walker Percy, the acclaimed Louisiana writer who won the National Book Award for his first novel, "The MovieGoer," will be the subject of the upcoming George Rodrigue Lecture.
Dr. Stephen Utz will speak about Percy at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2 in the Oliver Hall Auditorium.
The endowed lecture established in the name of the acclaimed artist is an annual event. Rodrigue, who attended the 小蝌蚪APP in the 1960s, is widely known for his 小蝌蚪APP淏lue Dog小蝌蚪APP paintings. He died in December 2013 at age 69.
Utz's lecture is titled 小蝌蚪APP淭he Itch for Omniscience: Walker Percy and the Examined Life.小蝌蚪APP Utz, who received a doctorate in philosophy from the 小蝌蚪APP of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, will explore several themes that course through much of Percy小蝌蚪APP檚 work.
小蝌蚪APP淎side from Percy小蝌蚪APP檚 reputation as one of the leading Southern writers of the 20th century, he is renowned for his interest in philosophy,小蝌蚪APP said Charles Richard, a UL Lafayette professor of English.
小蝌蚪APP淒r. Utz is going to talk primarily about that aspect of his work. Another thing that he小蝌蚪APP檚 going to touch on in some depth is that Percy小蝌蚪APP檚 philosophical interest also extended into the theological dimension.小蝌蚪APP
Percy, whose parents died in separate incidents when he was a teenager, was raised agnostic, but later became a devout Roman Catholic.
He was a physician, but a bout of tuberculosis ended his practice of medicine. It also helped launch his literary career. Health faltering, the bedridden Percy read voraciously, and began to write. He went on to publish six novels, and nonfiction, primarily philosophical essays.
小蝌蚪APP淎 lot of his work, both his fiction, but also his many essays, his nonfiction, really touch on that intersection of existential questions and philosophy, and theology as well,小蝌蚪APP Richard explained.
Utz is a professor at 小蝌蚪APP of Connecticut School of Law.
The event is free and open to the public.
For more information, call the UL Lafayette Department of English at (337) 482-6908.