Does the topic of failed marriage make for great fiction? Writer Gary Lutz certainly thinks so.
The acclaimed wordsmith will read from his new short story collection, “Divorcer” — which contains seven heart-wrenching tales about painful breakups and their consequences — at the upcoming Franklin Park Reading Series on Jan. 9.
Lutz, who is best known for his quirky, off-beat style, said he focused on failed marriages and relationships in his fourth short story collection mostly because the prospect of writing about successful ones seemed far less entertaining.
“I’m more fascinated by the way things fall apart as opposed to the way they come together,” said Lutz, a creative writing professor at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. “I guess I have a darker view of human possibilities.”
Lutz could be speaking from personal experience, but the short story maestro refused to kiss and tell.
“I’ve been divorced in a sense,” Lutz said. Well, have you or haven’t you? “I prefer to dwell in the realm of ambiguity.”
The latest installment of the popular reading series — which is named after Franklin Park, the bar on St. John’s Place in Crown Heights that hosts the monthly series — will feature short fiction from Sam Lipsyte, best-selling author of “The Ask,” and “Home Land,” and three other writers. The series is run by the neighborhood’s resident literary maven, Penina Roth.
Franklin Park Reading Series [Franklin Park, 618 St. John’s Pl. between Franklin and Classon avenues, in Crown Heights, (718 975-0196], Jan. 9, 8 pm. Free. For info, visit franklinparkbrooklyn.com
Reach reporter Daniel Bush at dbush@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-8310. Follow him at twitter.com/dan_bush.
