February 22, 1994

Novelist John Irving, author of The World According to Garp (1978), The Cider House Rules (1985) and A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989) gave the annual Alex Krieger Memorial lecture, readings from his unpublished novel A Son of the Circus (1994). Michael Bird ’96, who attended the lecture, told Miscellany News that “Irving’s writing is funny, intelligent, and honest. It’s as if there’s no pretense or literary overtures. It’s just stories and people and laughter, all very direct.” Irving explained to the audience that his humor is “not something I do consciously, I want to be frightened, amused, entertained.”

The Miscellany News

The Alex Krieger Memorial Fund was started by his parents in memory of Alex Krieger ’95, who died in his freshman year in an automobile accident while driving to Pennsylvania for an ultimate Frisbee match. The annual lectures were intended to bring eminent American humorists and cultural critics to Vassar in recognition of Krieger’s keen appreciation of these genres.