'In Country' author talks on works

Published last year in New Yorker magazine, the story traces the life of Chrissy and how she developed a relationship with a man named Jazz. Her life story is revealed in a series of weekly discussion groups in rural Kentucky. "I met Jazz a year ago, in a traffic court," Mason read. "We'd both been in minor fender benders on the same road on the same day, at different times. We'd both failed to yield." Mason is most famous for her 1985 novel In Country, which tells the story of a young girl's struggle to understand the Vietnam War. The book was made into a movie in 1989 starring Bruce Willis and Emily Lloyd. Following the reading, Mason fielded questions from the audience about her writing career. Mason said she has written since childhood, but did not begin to write "seriously" until she was out of college. She said she had no formal study in writing aside from two undergraduate writing classes. "I read a lot," Mason said. Mason also said she was influenced in college by such writers as J.D. Salinger, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. She added she was also influenced by modern writers such as Joan Dideon and Tom Wolfe. Mason then provided tips for aspiring writers in the audience. "The act of writing fiction is an act of discovering what it's all about," Mason said. "The writing is up to you. You do it the way you want it." Mason also explained how she got the idea to write In Country. "I didn't lose anyone in Vietnam," Mason said. "Having lived through the turmoil of the 60's, the story was personal, but not autobiographical." Students at the reading said they found it enjoyable. "I was excited she was coming," College sophomore Pam Grebow said. "I had written a paper on her in high school and I was glad to be able to hear her in person." "I thought one of the most interesting things about her writing was the truth in it," said Jorie Green, a Philadelphia high school student.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.