Monday, May 18, 2020, 11:30 AM – 1 PM EDT

Brenda Bynum, Senior Lecturer Emerita, Department of Theater Studies

“An Introduction to the Epistolary Friendship of Flannery O'Connor with Betty Hester”

In 1955, Flannery O'Connor received a letter from a woman who had just read her book "A Good Man is Hard to Find," and she replied by writing back, "I want to know who this is who understands my stories." What followed was a remarkable correspondence between the two that lasted and thrived until O'Connor's death nine years later. Though most of the letters that Hester sent to O'Connor have not been found, O'Connor's to Hester were saved by the recipient, donated to Emory University in 1987, and opened to the public 20 years later. They are candid, perceptive, and honest and reveal the development of a deep and satisfying friendship for both of them. They are also a pleasure to read as O'Connor brought all of her literary brilliance to bear in writing them. Brenda has developed a program on these letters that she will share with us today.