In a literary career that has stretched for almost two decades, Jonathan Lethem has skipped through genres as diverse as science fiction, comic books, literary fiction, memoir and hardboiled detective. That diversity may be the reason why the acclaimed author and critic was still referred to, as recently as 2010, as a "cult writer," despite having written bestsellers, won the National Book Critics Circle Award (for Motherless Brooklyn, 1999) and received a MacArthur "Genius" grant in 2005.

Inprint Margaret Root Brown Reading Series
Writers Jonathan Lethem and John Jeremiah Sullivan
Monday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Alley Theatre
615 Texas Avenue
inprinthouston.org

An article in Britain's Guardian newspaper in 2010 speculated that Lethem may have hurt himself commercially by writing books that are so different from each other. "Each novel seemingly could be the work of a different writer," the newspaper observed. Lethem's response to such observations is that he can't write books any other way.

Lethem and John Jeremiah Sullivan, a young nonfiction writer who has won wide acclaim for his first essay collection, Pulphead, will read from their works on Monday at the Alley Theatre as part of the Inprint Margaret Root Brown Reading Series.

After his reading, Lethem will be interviewed on stage by Texas Monthly editor-in-chief Jake Silverstein. He also will hold a book signing. Tickets may be bought in advance. You also may submit questions for the authors by clicking here.