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Publishing Legend Barney Rosset Discusses Career at NYCIP and The General Society
Barney Rosset, the legendary publisher recently featured in the documentary Obscene, will be discussing his career at The General Society and The New York Center for Independent Publishing on Tuesday, October 21st at 6pm. This event continues the popular Tuesday evening lecture series, Labor, Landmarks, and Literature, hosted annually by The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen in midtown Manhattan, and is the first of four lectures co-curated by Dan Simon of Seven Stories Press and Peter Kaufman of Intelligent Television comprising the Literature component of the series. This year's theme is "WhichPublishingFuture?" and the first lecture, entitled "Pioneers," will feature Mr. Rosset, founder of the ground-breaking Grove Press, speaking about using the lessons of the past as a predictor of the future.The Labor, Landmarks, and Literature series explores the history of architecture, politics, workers rights, and of course literary history, in the context of New York City's role as a center for arts and labor. The talks are held in the General Society's stunning Library, one of the oldest in the City. Tickets are $15 for non-members, $10 for members and $5 for students. To register, visit www.generalsociety.org, or call 212.764.7021. All lectures will take place at The General Society Library, at 20 West 44th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
Barney Rosset purchased Grove Press in 1951 and proceeded to turn it into one of the most influential alternative book presses in the history of American publishing. Mr. Rosset is a tireless champion of free speech, and fought multiple landmark court battles in order to publish uncensored versions of D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover, Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer, and William H. Burrough's Naked Lunch. Grove Press became one of the bellwether cultural institutions of the 1950s and 1960s, introducing Americans to the writings of Samuel Beckett and Jean Genet, and many of the American Beats, as well as radical political thinkers including Malcolm X and Regis Debray.Mr. Rosset continues to publish the online literary journal the Evergreen Review.
On November 19th, Mr. Rossett will receive a lifetime achievement award from the National Book Foundation in honor of his many contributions to American publishing. He is also the subject of a new documentary, Obscene, written and directed by Neil Ortenberg and Daniel O'Connor, which recently opened in New York.The film has been hailed as a "compelling documentary" (New York Post) and "an entertaining reminder of the ferocity of the culture wars of the 1950s and 60s" (The San Francisco Chronicle).
Upcoming lectures in the Literature series include "The Next Digital Age" by Michael Jensen, Director of Strategic Web Communications at the National Academies, who will discuss the future of the book industry in the growing landscape of electronic publishing on Saturday, December 6 at 1:00 PM. This event will take place during the NYCIP Book Fair and is free. "The Next Publishing Frontier" on Tuesday, February 24, at 6:30 PM, will feature Robert Miller, President and Publisher of HarperStudio, and Jason Epstein, founder of Anchor Books, discussing what contemporary publishers may bring to the next generation of readers and presses. The concluding eventof the series is "The Publishing Future" on Tuesday March 24, at 6:30 PM, an open-mike symposium with some of the series' speakers who will revisit and revise their thoughts on the publishing road ahead.
Originally founded by Whitney North Seymour, Jr., as the Small Press Center in 1984, The New York Center for Independent Publishing quickly became a safe-haven for the booming alternative literary and publishing scene. With its ever-expanding calendar of events, and by offering extensive publisher membership benefits, the NYCIP will continue to grow as the go-to place for independent publishers seeking to network with each other, as well as with industry insiders, while gaining a more competitive edge in today's marketplace. For more details on membership benefits, and to join, visit http://www.nycip.org/join.