American author Tobias Wolff took the stage, his bushy white moustache bobbing as he took a swig of his water and read three of his stories to a packed Meharry Hall Friday night.
Wolff came to DePauw as part of the Kelly Writers Series. English writing professor, Emily Doak, has been in email communication with Wolff for over a year to arrange the visit.
Wolff grew up on the move, constantly skipping from town to town while his mother attempted to make them rich by discovering uranium. He went to school in Connecticut and Washington for high school, as well as boarding school in Pennsylvania. Wolf also joined the Army and fought in Vietnam for four years.
After the Army, Wolff attained a First Class Honours degree in English at Oxford University, and later went on to Stanford University for his Master of Arts. He then began writing for The Washington Post. He now has a family and teaches creative writing at Stanford.
Doak introduced Wolff at his reading on Friday.
"For my generation, it's like he's always been there," Doak said, "His work feels classic and timeless from the moment it's published."
Wolff began by discussing why he became a writer, a question he often receives.
"Before one can become a writer, one must first become a reader," Wolff explained
As a kid, he would spend many late nights under the covers reading, shoving towels under the door so his parents wouldn't see the glow of his flashlight beam.
Sophomore Trish Preuss enjoyed hearing about this.
"He reminded me why I want to become a writer," Preuss said.
The book that first inspired him was entitled "Lad, a Dog" by Albert Payson Terhune, which is told in the perspective of a collie. The first story Wolff read in Meharry was entitled "Her Dog," which he says after writing it, he realized was inspired by these collie stories he read as a kid.
The story was seemingly light at first and had many of the audience members snickering.
It took a turn, however, and the crowd was silent. By the end, all that remained of the laughter was the creaking of the pews and the sullen faces of the crowd staring up at Wolff.
"He was sure of himself," first-year Hayden DeBruler said. "And he showed it in the measured pauses he took."
Wolff continued to amuse with a reading from his novel "Old School," which portions of first appeared in The New Yorker as short stories.
His witty writing combined with his innate story-telling abilities left the crowd utterly enthralled and unable to refrain from splitting their sides, including first-year Vyvian Borse.
"Hearing him read his stories aloud made his humor stand out even more than it does on the page," Borse said.
Wolff continued this humor in his last reading, "Bullet in the Brain," which comes from his collection "Our Story Begins." This is one of Wolff's better known pieces and held the audience with its initial fast-paced narrative and its peculiar, time-altering ending.
After he was finished, Wolff opened up for a few questions. He said the greatest advice he could give to a young, aspiring writer would be to have patience.
"The first thought isn't always the best thought," he said. "The second thought is a better thought, and the third even better than the second."
DeBruler was impressed with the way he responded to the questions.
"He really thought about the questions people asked," said DeBruler. "He didn't just rattle off a generic, pre-made response."
When he finished, the crowd roared with appreciation and respect. Wolff's eyes beamed and his iconic moustache sat atop a huge grin as claps echoed throughout the hall.
"His generation looked up to Frost and Hemingway," Doak said. "For my generation, Wolff is on our list of the greats, the legends of ou
