Four-Time Overseas Press Club Award Winner George Packer Guest Speaker At Four Seasons Author Series

George Packer, staff writer for The New Yorker and author of five books including Interesting Times: Writings from a Turbulent Decade and The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq, will be the guest speaker on Friday, March 25th, 2011 at noon at the University Club, 38th Floor, One Tampa City Center in downtown Tampa.

Throughout his career as a journalist, Packer has always brought his audience brilliant investigative pieces that captivate and enlighten as he offers his accounts of world events. “Long-Form Journalism in the Twitter Era” will be the topic for the next Four Season Author Series, as Mr. Packer intrigues subscribers with his distinctive approach to clarifying the world around us.

In praise of Interesting Times: “George Packer is a modern-day George Orwell. Like the author of Homage to Catalonia, the places he writes about are never stages for personal or ideological heroism. They are always real and full of frustrating facts that expose both liberal and conservative absolutism as reckless attempts to deny reality. Interesting Times should be read not just as an antidote to contemporary media poison, but as a testament to the values of moral seriousness in a troubled age.” —Jed Lipinski, The Village Voice

In praise of The Assassins’ Gate: “Masterful . . . Packer’s sketch of the prewar debates is subtle, sharp and poignant . . . His reporting from Iraq was always good, but the book is even better, putting the reader at the side of Walter Benjamin’s angel of history, watching helplessly as the wreckage unfolds at his feet.” —Gideon Rose, The Washington Post Book World

The Four Seasons Author Series is presented by the Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. The subscription series offers four consecutive literary lunches at which guest authors are invited to speak on a variety of subjects, followed by a question and answer period, with a book signing for those who wish to purchase the featured book.

Tickets are $30 for a one time event or a subscription for four consecutive luncheons is $100. Reservations are necessary to attend. To reserve your seat for the luncheon, call the Friends office at (813) 273-3616 by Monday, March 21st, 2011 or email fourseasonsluncheon@gmail.com.