“Wartime Kiss” at Darien Library: A Guest Lecture by Dr. Alexander Nemerov of Yale University

On Sunday, March 28 at 3 p.m., Darien Library will present "Wartime Kiss: Forgetting the Second World War," a special program about American Art in the 30s, presented by Dr. Alexander Nemerov of Yale University. This is a One Book, One Community* event.

The Second World War accelerated the worldwide recovery from the Great Depression of the 1930s, bringing about an extraordinary time period for American art. What was the visual culture of the American home front during that period, and how do we remember WWII today? The question seems strange, since WWII is vastly remembered in books and movies, maybe never more so than now. But the recollection of that time is also fading away, just like the memories of the Great Depression. What, then, is a memory of the war now?

Dr. Alexander Nemerov, chair of the History of Art Department at Yale University, will look to the films and photographs on the home front to ponder what, if anything, still resonates from the war years. Dr. Nemerov is also the author of "Icons of Grief: Val Lewton's Home Front Pictures" and curator of the forthcoming Smithsonian Exhibition, "To Make A World: George Ault and 1940s America."

*One Book, One Community encourages everyone in town to read the same book and then come together to explore its themes.

The selected book for the town-wide read is "The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl" by Timothy Egan, the 2006 National Book Award Winner for Non-Fiction.

The selected book for younger readers is "Out of the Dust" by Karen Hesse, the 1998 Winner of the Newbery Medal.

Each book is set during the 1930s and centers around the experiences of those who survived the Great Depression during one of the worst natural disasters of all time. 

This program is co-sponsored by the Yale Club of Lower Fairfield County. Yale Clubs, run by volunteers within local communities, offer Yale University alumni a wide variety of activities, services, and opportunities for lifelong learning while reflecting Yale's core values of education, community, and service. Darien Library is located at 1441 Post Road, Darien, Conn.

For more information, visit darienlibrary.org or call 203-655-1234.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).