Bard College’s Stevenson Library Will Host Philip Roth Talk with Leon Botstein and Steven J. Zipperstein on October 23

On October 23, the Stevenson Library at Bard College will host a talk between Steven J. Zipperstein, Daniel E. Koshland Professor in Jewish Culture and History at Stanford University, and Leon Botstein, president of Bard College. They will discuss the life and ambition of the late writer Philip Roth, the subject of Zipperstein’s landmark new biography, Philip Roth: Stung By Life, which traces Roth’s journey from his childhood in Newark to literary stardom, capturing his obsessions, romances, and the extraordinary range of his work.

The event, cosponsored by the President’s Office, the Dean’s Office, and Stevenson Library, will take place on the first floor of the library from 4 to 6 pm on Thursday, October 23, and will include a reception. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please visit here.

Roth, who is buried in the Bard College cemetery, was one of the most prominent literary chroniclers of American life. Drawing on extensive archival materials and over one hundred interviews for his book, including conversations with Roth about his life and work, Zipperstein provides an intimate and insightful look at one of the twentieth century’s most influential writers, placing his work in the context of his fixations, as well as American Jewishness, freedom, and sexuality.

Steven J. Zipperstein is Daniel E. Koshland Professor in Jewish Culture and History at Stanford University. He is the author and editor of ten books, including The Jews of Odessa, Rosenfeld’s Lives: Fame, Oblivion, and the Furies of Writing, and Pogrom: Kishinev and the Tilt of History. He has taught at universities in France, Russia, Poland, and at Oxford University. Zipperstein’s essays and reviews have appeared in publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, and the Jewish Review of Books. He is a recipient of the Smilen Prize for Outstanding Book in Jewish History (1986), a National Jewish Book Award (1995), the Leviant Prize of the Modern Language Association (2007), and many other honors.

Leon Botstein is now in his 50th year as president of Bard College. He is music director and principal conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra (ASO), founder and music director of The Orchestra Now (TŌN), artistic codirector of Bard SummerScape and the Bard Music Festival, and conductor of the Musical Explorations series for the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra (JSO), where he served as principal guest conductor through 2025 and music  director from 2003 to 2011. Honors include an American Academy of Arts and Letters award, Carnegie Foundation Academic Leadership Award, National Arts Club Gold Medal, Leonard Bernstein Award, Bruckner Society Medal of Honor, Alumni Medal from the University of Chicago, and Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art. In 2011, he was inducted into the American Philosophical Society. President Botstein is also trustee emeritus of the Central European University (board chair, 2007–22; board member, 1991–22) and Foundation for Jewish Culture.