Augusten Burroughs to speak on writing, humor

Living with an unorthodox psychiatrist who examines feces, uses an electroshock machine and invents a room called the masturbatorium is bound to generate some eccentric stories. The American writer Augusten Burroughs grew up with such a psychiatrist, and since transformed his scarring childhood into a captivating and comedic memoir, the 2002 New York Times bestseller Running with Scissors. 

On Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m., the author will speak on the second floor of the Students' Building for this year's Alex Krieger '95 Memorial Lecture. Entitled "An Evening with Augusten Burroughs," the program will include a lecture on Burroughs' work and life, a discussion and a book signing session.

This annual lecture series is held in memory of Alex Krieger '95, a Vassar student involved in a fatal automobile accident the spring of his freshman year. Held each spring, the lecture commemorates Krieger's interest in distinguished and humoristic American writing. In consultation with the Krieger family, Vassar has in the past invited such renowned humorists as John Irving, Gail Collins, Tony Kushner and David Sedaris.

Burroughs, following the tradition of these authors, writes with both wit and solemnity. The tattoo on Burroughs' left arm eloquently reads "cicatrix manet." The Latin philosophical quote means "the scar remains," a line that exposes the foundation of his work.

"I think this is something that took me a long time to realize," Burroughs explained about his tattoo, in an exclusive e-mail statement with The Miscellany News. "One ‘heals' only to a point. Trauma of any kind—emotional or physical—leaves scars and sometimes gaping areas. Limbs can be lost, mobility, speech. Likewise emotionally, there are some things from which we do not ‘bounce back.'"

The scar's conception lies in the author's traumatic childhood, and he confronts the persistence of this physical and emotional blemish through the act of writing. Four out of Burroughs' six novels focus on autobiographical subjects that range from the aloof nature of his parents to his battle with alcoholism.

Burroughs, né Christopher Robison, elucidates his emotionally traumatic youth in his most famed work, Running with Scissors. The memoir presents Burroughs' bizarre youth. The author's mother, an aspiring poet dependent on psychiatrists and prescription drugs, sent 13-year-old Burroughs to live with an unbalanced psychiatrist named Dr. Rodolph Turcotte. Burroughs' move to Turcotte's Massachusetts mansion occurred after the collapse of his parents' volatile marriage.

"It surprised me," said English major Christine Vines '10 about Running with Scissors. "Before I read it, I thought of it as a comedic piece, but it's actually quite intense." While the consequent events in the mansion involve serious topics and disconcerting circumstances, Burroughs relays the story with bawdiness. In 2006, director-producer Ryan Murphy adapted the text into a film starring Alec Baldwin, Annette Benning and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Burroughs' acerbic wit is inextricably linked to his method of recollection. "In my experience, humor can play an important role both during and then when recalling a traumatic experience," he stated. "Focusing on what's absurd or ridiculous or ironic about any difficult experience both lessens the potential impact of the trauma as well as hones one's ability to recognize unique absurdities when one comes upon them."

The author's unique perspective allows him to face his past and overcome his cumbersome memories. "As a coping/survival mechanism," Burroughs clarified, "I simply had to focus not on how destructive this set of circumstances was or how deforming those other circumstances could be, I just automatically saw the out of focus bits, the warped areas, the parts that jiggled."

Burroughs dropped out of school after sixth grade and, after leaving the Massachusetts mansion at the age of 17, started working as a copywriter in the advertising industry. In 2000, he penned his first novel, Stellevision, a comedic study of greed and obsession within a television company. In 2003, Burroughs published Dry, a second memoir that concentrates on his alcoholism and struggle with rehab and sobriety.

"I am excited to see him talk on campus," Vines said. "It will be interesting to see what he's like in person after reading about his difficult childhood."
In his most recent work, A Wolf at the Table, Burroughs candidly and seriously reveals his tumultuous relationship with his father. A professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the late John G. Robison was an alcoholic who spent little time with Burroughs and his brother John Elder Robison. The work delves into his father's split psychotic mentality and dark sadism, factors that enhanced the brutality of Burroughs' childhood.

"I think there are times when humor is inappropriate or feels like a defense mechanism," Burroughs noted in light of A Wolf at the Table's solemn tone. "Sometimes, humor is distracting and is the sign of an author who is afraid of her or his subject matter. The answer as to when one should use humor and when one should avoid it does, of course, not exist. This sort of narrative choice is a landscape the author must navigate alone."

While Burroughs' dysfunctional youth left an unfading emotional scar, it also provided a platform for his writing. In turn, these humorous and sincere texts encouraged the growth of theraputical scar tissue. "The scar that remains can be a thick scar, one that impedes one's former abilities," Burroughs' explained. "But what I find optimistic about the line ‘the scar remains,' and the reason I have it tattooed on my arm is that, even though the scar remains, we go on. Because we adapt. And in some ways, we are better."