RALEIGH – Playwright Paul Green is best known for creating the nation’s longest running symphonic drama, “The Lost Colony.” From his experiences as an eastern North Carolina farm boy, to winning a Pulitzer and international acclaim, the story of Green’s early life and achievements is presented in a new book. The Historical Publications Section of the N.C. Office of Archives and History announces the publication of “Watering the Sahara: Recollections of Paul Green from 1894 to 1937,” written by James R. Spence and edited by Margaret D. Bauer.
Based primarily on previously unpublished interviews with Paul Green, “Watering the Sahara” is a compelling study that chronicles the dramatist’s life from childhood in rural Harnett County to military service in World War I, the beginnings of his career as both educator and writer, his work as a Hollywood screenwriter, and the theater collaborations that culminated in the creation of “The Lost Colony.” Extensive quotation from the interviews and 32 black-and-white illustrations provide the reader with new insight into the complexity of North Carolina’s leading playwright.
Author James Robert Spence (1928–1995), a Harnett County native, was an attorney who had an active career in public service in both North Carolina and Florida.
Editor Margaret D. Bauer is the Ralph Hardee Rives Chair of Southern Literature, professor of English, and award winning editor of the North Carolina Literary Review at East Carolina University. She is the author of “The Fiction of Ellen Gilchrist” (1999) and “William Faulkner’s Legacy” (2005).
“Watering the Sahara” (260 pages, illustrated, index, paperbound) costs $24, which includes tax and shipping. Order from the Historical Publications Section (N), Office of Archives and History, 4622 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4622. For credit card orders call (919) 733-7442, ext. 0, or access the Publications Section’s secure online store at http://nc-historical-publications.stores.yahoo.net/. “Watering the Sahara” is also available from Amazon.com.
The Historical Publications Section offers more than 190 North Carolina books, maps, and document facsimiles. For a free 2009 catalog, write to the address above; call (919) 733-7442, ext. 0; or e-mail trudy.rayfield@ncdcr.gov. The Historical Publications section www.ncpublications.com is administered by the Office of Archives and History in the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources www.ncculture.com.