Larson, Vestal to discuss Churchill and literature

Few 20th-century world leaders were more conspicuous than Winston Churchil l. Though most remembered for being prime minister of the United Kingdom twice – the first and most famous during the war years of 1940-45, and the second 1951-55 – he had a six-decade-plus tenure in UK politics.

But, too, Churchill was a soldier ( he served in the Boer War of 1899-1902 ), a painter and a Nobel Prize-winning author (he was awarded the prize in 1953 “for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values”).

Again, though, Churchill’s most memorable years were during his term as prime minister during World War II. And it is those years, primarily at the beginning when Germany was running roughshod over all of Europe and threatening to invade Great Britain, that writer Erik Larson focuses on in his nonfiction book “The Splendid and the Vile.”

Larson will talk about his book during a public Spokane appearance at 2 p.m. Feb. 27th in Lewis and Clark High School’s auditorium. Tickets to the event, which is sponsored by Auntie’s Bookstore, are $25 and include both admission to the event and a paperback copy of “The Splendid and the Vile.”

Spokesman-Review columnist Shawn Vesta l, author of the novel “Daredevils” and the short story collection “Godforsaken, Idaho,” will join Larson in a discussion about the book, about Churchill, about writing and anything else that might come up.

“There are many things to admire about ‘The Splendid and the Vile,’ ” wrote National Public Radio critic Michael Schaub , “but chief among them is Larson’s electric writing. The book reads like a novel, and even though everyone (hopefully) knows how the war ultimately ended, he keeps the reader turning the pages with his gripping prose.”

Seating is limited, and admission requires the wearing of masks and proof of vaccination. Tickets can be purchased through Auntie’s by phone (509-838-0206), in the store or online.