Wednesday, May 22, 2002

6:30-8 pm The New York Times

Times Moderator: Bill Goldstein, book editor of NYTimes.com
Thank you . . . Sincere greetings to everyone.

We’re very happy you could join us for the latest Times Talks literary event – “Suffering and Hope: Mental Illness – Inside and Out.” I’m please to announce that tonight’s evening is presented in partnership with the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.

I’m Tom Kulaga, from The New York Times. In a few moments, I’ll turn the program over to our moderator, Bill Goldstein, and our esteemed panel – award winning authors Sylvia Nasar and Andrew Solomon. The task before them is to offer a frank look at the mental monsters under the bed. Schizophrenia. Paranoia. Depression. Familiar terms, staggering stories.

In praising Sylvia Nasar’s “A Beautiful Mind,” one reviewer that said the biography of math genius John Nash – quote – “Will touch any reader who understands what it means to hope – or to fear.” Ms. Nasar’s book won the 1998 National Book Critics Circle Award for biography and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. It was also, of course, brought to life in the Academy-Award winning film.

In his work, author Andrew Solomon tapped the deeply personal well of his own experiences with depression. In turn, he struck a very tender nerve in the collective American psyche. After his story “The Anatomy of Melancholy” appeared in The New Yorker, he received more than 2,000 letters from Americans also suffering depression. His latest work, “The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression” won the National Book Award for nonfiction.

These are indeed important topics and we are privileged to have before us such an esteemed panel of writers. I’m very happy to report that both our authors have strong ties
to the Times. Sylvia Nasar covered economics for us. Andrew Solomon’s most recent contribution was a lead story on the efforts by Afghanistan artists to pick up the pieces of their lives, and spark anew their artistic visions.
But before we get to the heart of the matter at hand, a few housekeeping notes. So that we hear every word, please turn off all cell phones and electronic devices. Also, no flash photos – and no audio and visual recording . . .

And be sure to stay after the event for a book sale and signing.

And now it’s my great pleasure to introduce our moderator, who has made a
name for himself in just about every medium. Online, he is the Books
Editor of NYTimes.com. In print, he contributes frequently to The New York
Times Book Review. And on TV, he can be seen Saturday mornings reviewing
books for “Weekend Today in New York.”

Please join me in welcoming . . . Bill Goldstein.

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