A group of more than 60 avid area readers turned out to hear prize-winning author and long-time St. Paul resident William Kent Krueger speak about the craft of writing and the state of reading and writing in the nation during a guest appearance at the Becker Public Library Monday night.

 

Noting that it was also Krueger’s birthday on Monday, library staff led by Branch Manager Jeannette Burkhardt had celebratory cupcakes on hand, and, after her introduction, the audience supplied the mandatory rendition of “Happy Birthday” before Krueger began his remarks.  He started by acknowledging that he was now 65 years of age, and “happy to be able to apply for Medicare”.

 

Krueger talked about his career as a writer of mystery novels, which began as a “mid-life crisis project” when he was 40 years old with “Iron Lake”, the first in a series that features lawman and later private detective Cork O’Connor that reached number 14 last year in “Windigo Island”, Krueger said.

 

His work has received many prizes, including four Minnesota Book Awards, two Anthony Awards for Best Novel and an Edgar Award for mystery writing. Hollywood has also come calling, he said, but the strong thread of Native American culture in many of his plots and characters appears to be a stumbling block for many movie and television producers.  He wryly recalled one television “treatment” proposal he was sent of an earlier book, which is set in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin with references to Duluth, MN and Superior, WI, which the Hollywood writer had relocated to Cleveland and had also removed all traces of Native American and Minnesota content.

 

 “You love books”, Krueger said to the audience, which is “the real reason you are all here”.  He said that he had developed an early interest in telling stories, and in writing, because he “had parents who read to me when I was a kid”.  He also said that books are “the archive of our culture”, and he worried that the “sound bite” electronic age and the Internet® are making us “lose the ability to think deeply and tell stories”.

 

And as to the value of telling stories and writing novels, Krueger quoted French playwright and philosopher Albert Camus:  “Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.”

 

Following his presentation Krueger, who was accompanied by his wife Diane on his Becker visit, chatted with audience members and did a brisk business autographing books bought that night or brought along by eager fans.