Acclaimed novelist and scholar Percival Everett brought an evening of insight, humor, and storytelling to Rutgers University–Camden on March 26. Speaking as part of the Chancellor’s Centennial Lecture series, Everett engaged a packed audience of students, faculty, and community members by sharing his reflections on writing, identity, and the possibilities of literature.
Everett is widely regarded as one of the most inventive voices in contemporary American literature. The author of more than 30 books spanning fiction, poetry, and satire, Everett has earned significant critical recognition, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for his novel James, a reimagining of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
He began the evening with a reading from James, which is the name of the novel’s protagonist. Through James – the character originally named Jim in Twain’s novel – Everett explores themes of identity, agency, and the constructed nature of race and language in America. In doing so, he creates a narrative that critiques historical and literary erasure.
Afterward, Everett sat down with Lisa Zeidner, the author of five novels and a professor of English at Rutgers–Camden, for a wide-ranging discussion on writing, the importance of art, and the creation of meaning through creative work.
Zeidner began by asking Everett for his thoughts on James being used by teachers as a cultural counterbalance to the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and on the criticism it has received for its use of stereotypes and racial slurs.
“I didn’t write the novel as a corrective to Twain, rather I see myself in a conversation with Twain,” Everett said.
He emphasized that among the reasons Twain’s novel was important to the American literary canon was that it was one of the first times that slavery was not a character in the narrative. Instead, you had a character who was suffering from the institution of slavery and an adolescent character who was literally wandering the American landscape trying to understand the future of the American experience.
“That continues to be the most defining shared future for all of us – the question of race,” said Everett.
Zeidner pointed out that Everett often uses humor as a tool in his writing, employing it almost subversively while taking on very dark subjects like slavery and lynching. She then asked what is gained when a writer chooses an unusual or unexpected tone such as humor.
“Using humor or irony is very powerful – if you are talking with someone and you can get them to chuckle, the whole feeling in that moment changes,” Everett said. “Humor is an opportunity to bring walls down, to disarm someone.”
In discussing the idea of genre, Zeidner noted that throughout his career, Everett has experimented with different styles, from the Western to the spy novel, frequently turning familiar tropes upside down.
“Genres are predictable – you almost don’t even need to expose yourself to a genre to know it,” Everett said. “As a result, people have expectations, and if you can subvert them, again you can disarm them and break down walls.”
The evening ended with a question-and-answer session, during which Everett encouraged the MFA students in attendance to remember their motivation as they move through their careers.
“You are in an MFA program because you love literature and writing,” said Everett. “An artist must balance making a living with art, but don’t lose sight of your creative goals as you build your life.”
