Darien|Local Event
Author Talk: Priya Parmar, "The Original"
Darien Library is excited to welcome author, Priya Parmar, who will discuss her new book, The Original.
Tuesday, September 29th at 7 p.m. in the Community Room.
With Katharine Hepburn at its center, The Original is an intimate, propulsive portrait of a brilliant, ambitious actor determined to live on her own terms—with her female lover and devoted companion—while the studio system tries to turn her into America’s sweetheart. On soundstages and back lots, in private cottages in the hills, Hepburn must navigate a town that runs on secrets, lies, and unwritten rules, and decide how much of herself she’s willing to sacrifice for fame and work.
While the narrative follows Hepburn’s early life and career, it is equally an internal story about the split between the public star and the private self. Parmar’s meticulous research, comprised of archival material, biographies, and letters, is transformed into a rich fictional inner life: unrecorded conversations, sharp emotional turns, and a voice that lets us hear the Hepburn behind the photographs.
For readers of Vanessa and Her Sister, Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet, and Maggie Shipstead’s Great Circle, The Original takes an iconic public figure and creates a wholly new and deeply human narrative.
About the Author
Priya Parmar is the author of the novels Exit the Actress and Vanessa and Her Sister, a New York Times Notable Book, and is co-author of the musical Sylvia (London Old Vic), nominated for the Olivier Award for Best New Musical. She divides her time between Hawaii and Connecticut with her family and four rescue dogs.