In The Drama of Celebrity, Sharon Marcus, Columbia's Orlando Harriman Professor of English and Comparative Literature, challenges longstanding narratives surrounding our culture's obsession with fame. Drawing from diaries, scrapbooks and fan mail, Marcus traces the cult of celebrity back to its 19th-century roots, painting a vibrant picture of an endlessly fascinating phenomenon. Elaine Showalter in The New York Times calls it an "inventive, stimulating book" and says Marcus "is a brilliant theorist and analyst of theater history."
Marcus is also the editor-in-chief, along with Caitlin Zaloom, of Public Books, a digital magazine that publishes interdisciplinary, scholarly work on art, ideas and politics, with the goal of breaking down walls between academia and the public. Columbia University Press recently released, Think In Public, an anthology of the best pieces from Public Books' first five years.
Columbia News caught up with Marcus earlier this month to chat about books and her ideal dinner party.
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