A footnote of possible interest:

As some may know, I supply (and usually select) the gift that is given 
to the recipient at the dinner the night before the show (which took 
place in October). I cannot reveal what that gift is before the dinner, 
of course, but I can now say that for Dave Chappelle, I selected a first 
edition of Following the Equator (1897). The selection of the gift is a 
tricky process that involves research into the recipient's interests, 
beliefs, politics, and biography. The gift must be Twain-related, not 
offend, and not be impersonal or generic. I chose the gift for Dave 
Chappelle because he famously spent some time in South Africa to 
recharge his batteries, and Twain describes his own experiences there in 
that book. Of course, I thought the rest of the book would capture 
Chappelle's attention as well, since, like Twain, Chappelle, unlike his 
own characters, is an astute and thoughtful reader, alert to cultural 
and social differences, who understands the common humanity of the 
damned human race.

Kevin
@
Mac Donnell Rare Books
9307 Glenlake Drive
Austin TX 78730
512-345-4139
Member: ABAA, ILAB, BSA

You can browse our books at:
www.macdonnellrarebooks.com


------ Original Message ------
From: "L Oggel" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: 1/8/2020 7:41:16 AM
Subject: Re: tonight: Mark Twain Prize on PBS

>I agree, Matt (and Dwyane). I watched the show. It was late and I didn't
>have time, yet I watched the whole show. I thought it was the best in a
>long time. And the Twain connections kept coming up, time and again, in
>informed ways, both seriously and humorously. I didn't know much about
>Chappelle. I knew he is very edgy and doesn't appeal to everyone. Sometimes
>he's too much. Yet that's part of the connection. I learned more about him
>from the show, hearing praise about features of his humor I hadn't
>seen--about the seriousness underlying his humor and the depth of his
>character as revealed in his humor. Toni Morrison was quoted, related to
>what she said about *HF*. Chappelle was there, on camera as he responded to
>comments about his humor (he had to hold his hands to his young daughter's
>ears sometimes!). It was an instructive ceremony, at least for me, and
>Chappelle an extremely appropriate recipient.
>
>Terry Oggel
>
>
>On Wed, Jan 8, 2020 at 7:28 AM Matthew Seybold <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>>  Hey, Hal -
>>
>>  Dave Chappelle was announced as the recipient last Fall. Dwayne Eutsey
>>  wrote a nice piece about Chappelle, Twain, Holbrook, and Richard Pryor for
>>  us in October:
>>
>>
>>https://marktwainstudies.com/no-humor-in-heaven-dave-chappelle-richard-pryor-the-mark-twain-prize/
>>  <
>>https://marktwainstudies.com/no-humor-in-heaven-dave-chappelle-richard-pryor-the-mark-twain-prize/
>>  >
>>
>>  I haven’t watched the PBS special yet, but I agree with Dwayne that
>>  Chappelle is one of the recipients who best resembles the prize’s namesake.
>>
>>  - MS
>>
>>  > On Jan 7, 2020, at 3:50 PM, Hal Bush <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>  >
>>  > Time for the annual debate:  on PBS tonight, the newest version of the
>>  Mark Twain Prize.
>>  >
>>  > Did you miss the announcement of the newest winner?  (Program was taped
>>  in the fall, and only now going on air.)
>>  >
>>  > ps: among the most overlooked and worthy potential recipients (this is
>>  NOT a posthumous award, by the way):  Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Jerry
>>  Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, and the great political satirist Jon Stewart.
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > Dr. Hal Bush
>>  >
>>  > Professor of English &
>>  >
>>  > Director of the Undergraduate Program
>>  >
>>  > Saint Louis University
>>  >
>>  > [log in to unmask]
>>  >
>>  > 314-977-3616
>>  >
>>  > http://halbush.com
>>  >
>>  > author website:  halbush.com
>>
>>  ***************
>>  Matt Seybold
>>  Assistant Professor of American Literature & Mark Twain Studies
>>  Elmira College
>>  Editor, MarkTwainStudies.org
>>  MattSeybold.com
>>
>