April 14, 2008
John Jay’s Matteson Wins 2008 Pulitzer for Alcott Biography
John Matteson, Associate Professor of the English Department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, was awarded the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in biography for his book, Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father, which chronicles the relationship between the celebrated author of Little Women and her father Bronson Alcott. Other biographers have examined the lives of Louisa May Alcott and her father individually, while Eden’s Outcasts is the first book to look at their lives jointly.
When asked to comment about his winning the award, Matteson said that he could best describe his feelings in the words of John Steinbeck when he won the Nobel that he felt “wrapped and shellacked.”
“I am extraordinarily pleased,” said Matteson. “I am so thankful to have been able to do this with, and for, John Jay College. They hired me when no one else would, and have supported me through thick and thin.”
Prior to being awarded the Pulitzer, “Eden’s Outcasts” had been named as one of the best books of 2007 by both the Christian Science Monitor and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Matteson, who has taught literature and legal writing at John Jay since 1997, holds a PhD in English from Columbia University and a law degree from Harvard Law School. A paperback edition of “Eden Outcasts” is due out later this year. Matteson will also be serving as a consultant and on-air commentator for a forthcoming PBS documentary on Louisa May Alcott.
Professor Matteson is the second John Jay College faculty member to win a Pulitzer Prize. The other was Professor Michael Wallace, who, together with Brooklyn College Professor Ed Burrows, was a co-winner in 1999 for their book Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898.
An international leader in educating for justice, John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York offers a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to upwards of 14,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. For more information, visit www.jjay.cuny.edu.
The Baisley Powell Elebash Endowment presents April 16, 2008, 7:30pm The blossoming of the cercis (redbud) trees is a moment anticipated by all residents of Anatolia, and especially Istanbul; the spellbinding city adorned by such beauty has inspired people from all cultural backgrounds over the course of history. It is in this spirit of people inspired by the same land but expressing it in their terms that the Ozan Aksoy Trio has been formed, wishing to celebrate music from various cultures that have made their homes in Anatolia and the surrounding regions, including Eurasia and the Middle East. The trio aspires to form its own cercis tree with Turkish, Armenian, Kurdish, Greek, Jewish, Arabic, and Alevi musical heritages and repertoires forming its numerous but equally rich branches. Seating is limited so please arrive early. For further information please contact the Concert Office at |