KGB Bar series offers author readings with atmosphere

Though the libraries on campus are packed with stressed-out Columbians on Sunday nights, the downtown KGB Bar is filled with a different kind of crowd.

Jonathan Dee—Columbia School of the Arts professor, author of four novels, and staff writer for the New York Times—and novelist Stefan Block both read debut passages Sunday night. The event was part of a weekly fiction night series at the Cold- War- era‑style KGB Bar, which always pairs an emerging writer with a more established one.

Block started the night be reading from his recent manuscript, which will be published in the spring of 2011. The tentatively titled “House of Echoes” builds thematically off of his first novel, “The Story of Forgetting,” and harbors both memory and rare hereditary diseases as themes. “Memory can be a willful power, but we must always be vigilant,” Block said.

Continuing on a different note, Dee read from his latest novel “The Privileges.” The passage involved 21-year-old April, who, fueled by alcohol and drugs, embarks upon a night‑long spiral toward disaster. However, the book centers on April’s parents, who are, as Dee said, “so perfect for each other that it is problematic.”

The readers were set against a low‑lit backdrop of scarlet walls while a crowd of regulars listened attentively. As Block said, “There is always such a warm audience there [at KGB]. It’s an ideal place to read something new.” The 16-year-old bar is locally known as a meeting place for literary minds.

These fiction nights have been running for 15 years and were the brainchild of former Columbia SoA professor Suzanne Dottino, curator of KGB fiction nights. Dottino said that the event provides “a chance to socialize with like‑minded individuals in a relaxed setting.” With oversized beers in hand, both writers seemed at ease.