To celebrate the publication of Stephen Sutcliffe’s new autobiographical book Much Obliged (2019) published by Bookworks, we present an evening of readings, discussion and a screening of I Remember: A Film About Joe Brainard by Matt Wolf. Stephen will read selections from his book and Joe Brainard’s I Remember followed by a discussion with LUX Director Benjamin Cook.
This book is called Much Obliged for two reasons. The first is that it is what Stephen’s dad says when he has been served in shops. The second is because Stephen has noticed that he only does things to stop himself letting people down.
Joe Brainard’s I Remember is the inspiration for Stephen Sutcliffe’s similarly constructed assemblage of loosely connected reminiscences, each containing a reference to ‘Stephen’. John Ashbery described Brainard’s writing as ‘humane smut’, and, drawing on the comedy of childhood, experience of work, and school friends, as well as family snapshots and Stephen’s own collages, Much Obliged finds a similar tone, firmly rooted in class, the challenge to authority, self-doubt and self-deprecation.
Much Obliged will be on sale on the night.
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