New Canaan Library to Host Pulitzer Prize Winner Anthony Doerr at 8th Annual Literary Luncheon

New Canaan Library officials announced Tuesday that the writer to be honored at this fall’s literary luncheon is none other than Anthony Doerr, who this week was named Pulitzer Prize winner for his massively popular novel “All the Light We Cannot See.”

Anthony Doerr, who learned April 20, 2015 that he had won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel “All the Light We Cannot See,” will be the New Canaan Library’s guest at the 8th Annual Literary Luncheon, to be held Nov. 4.

The 8^th Annual Literary Luncheon will be held Nov. 4 at Woodway Country Club.

The library’s director of development, Ellen Crovatto, said she’s “thrilled” for Doerr on the award and “very pleased that he will be our guest” at the luncheon.

“It’s a tremendous honor and privilege that the library gets to present him in the community,” she said. “This will be his only area appearance in the fall.”

As in years past, the library will hold a ‘benefactor’ presale with additional tickets made available in the fall. The library expects to have information for prospective benefactors very soon, said Erin Gaudreau, co-chair of PR and marketing for the luncheon’s committee, with Kerry Hanson.

Asked what she anticipated demand would be like for the luncheon, Gaudreau said, “Very high.”

Doerr, a novelist who also has written highly acclaimed short stories and a memoir, earned international recognition with the best-selling “All the Light We Cannot See.” Published last year, it is the story of a blind French girl and a young Nazi, set mostly in the town of Saint-Malo, France. The Pulitzer Prize Board’s citation calls it “an imaginative and intricate novel inspired by the horrors of World War II and written in short, elegant chapters that explore human nature and the contradictory power of technology.”

The library named Doerr this year’s literary luncheon guest a couple of months ago, far before the Pulitzer Prize was on the radar, Crovatto said.

The book was a great fit because its writing is what she called “luminous.”

“The subject matter also, is such a compelling story: World War II, a blind girl meets with a German,” Crovatto said. “Also, the structure of the story and the way it was told is very unique. I think that’s what the Pulitzer committee recognized. The pacing of the novel is very dynamic.”

Patricia Mee, co-chair of the luncheon with Annie Drapkin, said the literary luncheon has grown increasingly popular—last year’s event sold out before invitations were even mailed.

“We had a great book choice last year, too, a very popular and engaging book,” Mee said, referring to Christina Baker Kline’s “Orphan Train.”

Mee, Gaudreau and the rest of the volunteer committee number about 30 people total, Crovatto said—an indicator of the library’s place in New Canaan as a important cultural hub that garners wide community support, she said.

“I think people are excited to support the library,” Crovatto said. “We have had a bit of Renaissance here with Lisa [Oldham] being our new director the past two years. With our programming, people are feeling the love and want to support the library even more. We have made it a very entertaining and exciting event to be a part of in the community.”

She added: “I think what you see is more and more people are recognizing that the library is a cultural center for this community, and people are willing to devote more time and resources to ensuring that we can play that role. It is our intention to continue not only to provide the collateral that people expect—the books, the DVDs and so on—but to be able to provide the experience, for us to be a cultural town center. And I think events like this help to bring cultural excitement into our community on a level that no one else is able to provide.”

For further information on the 8^th Annual Literary Luncheon with Anthony Doerr, contact New Canaan Library Director of Development Ellen Crovatto at 203-594-5025.