Star Authors: Literary Celebrity in America

Introduction: the charismatic illusion. Part 1 Cultural contexts: Mark Twain absurdity - literature and publicity in America the reign of hype - the contemporary star system disembodied images - authors, authorship and celebrity. Part 2 Star authors: the scribe of suburbia - John Updike reality shift -Philip Roth silence, exile, cunning and so on - Don DeLillo a star of Bohemia - Kathy Acker conclusion: a meet the author culture.