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subscribe to style file blog via RSSDrinking Outside The Box
December 14, 2009 1:11 pm
A little rain Sunday night wasn’t going to stop Sebastian Junger from attending the PEN Edmont benefit for the Readers & Writers NYC public high schools program—this is the man who brought you The Perfect Storm, after all. The author regaled the audience with the tale of a night spent in Pamplona as a young man. No bulls in this one—just six blokes in a bar, fighting mercilessly over a plastic Viking helmet. Bloodshed, thankfully, was averted at the end. “Sharing red wine in a Viking hat is a great peacemaker,” Junger said.
The rest of the crowd, meanwhile, bonded over more literary discussion. Francesca Hammerstein, for one, was hoping to catch a glimpse of Jhumpa Lahiri. “I’ve read every single one of her books,” she said. “But I’m always stocking up on new authors, and especially now since we have a long flight to Moscow tomorrow.” Husband Simon Hammerstein has been busy working on a Moscow version of The Box, scheduled to open this week, and the couple was flying out for a short trip before the holidays. Like the original on the Lower East Side, the new Box promises shock theatrics: a cast of sword swallowers, gender-bending strip-teasers, and other oddball talent, as well as one guaranteed crowd-pleaser. “I’m sure there will be lots of vodka,” Francesca said with a laugh. No Viking helmet necessary, but one surely wouldn’t be out of place.
tags: Jhumpa Lahiri, PEN Edmont
