AMES, Iowa — Beloved on both sides of the pond for his writing, which is impossible to dislike, Iowa's own Bill Bryson will speak at Iowa State University.
Bryson's talk, "At Home and Abroad," will be at 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, in Stephens Auditorium, Iowa State Center, on the ISU campus. Doors will open at 7:15 p.m. The presentation is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required. A book signing will follow in the Celebrity Cafe.
Known as one of those people who find nearly everything interesting, Bryson has turned his two passions — travel and language — into a successful literary career. In a string of entertaining bestsellers packed with wry observations, Bryson chronicled his misadventures across England, Europe, Australia and the U.S. Equally as popular are his witty books on the history of the English language. And Bryson received several accolades and honors for his general science blockbuster, "A Short History of Nearly Everything."
His more than two dozen books include "A Walk in the Woods," "In a Sunburned Country," "Billy Bryson's African Diary," "Notes from a Small Island," "The Lost Continent," "I'm a Stranger Here Myself," "Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe" and his memoir of growing up in Des Moines, "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid." His newest book is "One Summer: America, 1927."
Bryson has lived much of his adult life in England, where he worked for the Times and the Independent newspapers, and wrote for many major British and American publications. From 2005 until 2010, he was chancellor of Durham University, which renamed its main library for him in 2012. Bryson holds several honorary degrees, and was awarded an honorary Order of the British Empire for his literary contributions in 2006.
Bryson's presentation is part of the World Affairs Series. In addition to the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by the Government of the Student Body, co-sponsors are listed in the sidebar.
More information on ISU lectures is available at http://www.lectures.iastate.edu, or by calling 515-294-9935.
