Princeton Public Library hosts Canadian author Lauren B. Davis

By: Jake Uitti
   The Princeton Public Library will hold a discussion Thursday at 7:30 p.m., sponsored by Princeton University’s Canadian Studies Program, featuring author Lauren B. Davis in conversation with Princeton Professor Maria DiBattista.
   Ms. Davis is the acclaimed and best-selling author of "The Radiant City," which was short-listed this year for the prestigious Rogers Writers Trust Prize for Fiction.
   Established in 1997, the prize recognizes Canadian writers, granting prizes for the year’s best novel or short-story collection.
   "The Radiant City," published by HarperCollins, is the story of how a physically and spiritually battered war correspondent, Matthew Bowles, finds redemption in the underbelly of modern-day Paris.
   The book examines the effects of war and violence, and is an exploration of how, in the aftermath of soul-wrenching disillusionment, one man struggles to retain a compassionate heart.
   Ms. Davis’ novel has been deemed "brilliant" by The Globe and Mail, and The Paris Voice called it "beautiful — a meditation on the value of existence."
   Ms. Davis — who grew up near Montreal, moved to Toronto and then lived in Paris for five years before moving to Princeton in April 2004 — said she started working on the book while in France.
   She studied creative writing at the Humber School for Writers in Toronto and at Indiana University.
   Her conversation with Professor DiBattista will include discussion of Ms. Davis’ life, her process, her work and her inspirations.
   Professor DiBattista teachers literature at Princeton University and has written widely on modern and contemporary literature. Her latest book is "Fast Talking Dames."
   Copies of Ms. Davis’ book will be available for purchase and signing at the event.
   Princeton Public Library is located at 65 Witherspoon St.