It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon that was perfect for the beach, but nothing could daunt the fans of Louis Begley, who turned out at our East Hampton store in droves to hear him read from his new book, Schmidt Steps Back (Knopf).
Readers have been treated to two previous installments in the life of Schmidt, an amiable widower who spends his summers in the Hamptons. Mr. Begley spoke about his affection for "Schmidtie" and what draws him back to his tale again and again. He was unabashed towards his critics who accused him of dwelling on sex, and he said that a writer must first of all write for his own amusement and need make no apologies.
Questions from the audience also turned his attention to the works of Kafka, the subject of one of his non-fiction books, as well as Proust and Balzac.
BookHampton has more exciting events coming up, all summer long. Visit BookHampton.com for our complete calendar!