Of UB's distinguished professors, few can claim to be as influential as former UB English professor Leslie Fiedler. The impression he left on his colleagues impelled them to organize a symposium to be held on Thursday to celebrate his life a year after his death.
"He inspired me then. The brilliance of his ideas, the irreverent truth-telling, the cynical optimism, the theatricality of his conceits," stated Geoffrey Green, a professor at San Francisco State University and a former student of Fiedler's, via email. "He inspired (his students) to be passionate, to be true to our artistic passions, to communicate from the heart, to be people first and professors second, to be generous and humane and to have courage under all circumstances."
Fiedler came to teach at UB in 1964 and continued teaching and working with graduate students until he passed away in January 2003, at the age of 85.
Graduating from NYU Heights in Newark, New Jersey in 1941 with a doctorate of philosophy in English literature, Fiedler had a broad range of interests, delving into various aspects of English literature throughout his career.
Fiedler wrote numerous essays and novels that covered various topics such as popular culture, politics, American literature, fiction, the Jewish faith, Shakespeare, James Joyce and science fiction.
"He did everything, he was amazing," said English professor Mark Shechner.
The schedule reveals a full day of events and remembrance with Fiedler's colleagues, English professors Mark Shechner, Robert Daly and Kenneth Dauber beginning the first series of speeches.
Fiedler's work and character will be the subject of lectures, including a speech from Fiedler's biographer, Mark Royden Winchell, who will show a clip of Fiedler's appearance on "The Today Show."
The symposium will end at approximately 5:30 p.m. with a trip to the special collections reading room and a poetry reading by Fiedler's wife, Sally.
The idea for the symposium began as a desire of UB English professor and Chair of the English department, Joseph Conte, to have a remembrance for Fiedler. After contacting fellow faculty members and Fiedler's former secretary, Joyce Troy, the symposium started to come together.
"I think of it as a Fiedler reunion," said Conte.
Discussion during the symposium will cover Fiedler's many famous books and essays, such as "Love and Death in the American Novel," "Last Jew in America," "Nude Croquet," "Messengers Will Come No More" and "Back to China."
One particular essay, "Come on back to the Raft, Again, Huck Honey," a piece written in the 1950s, discussed Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and spoke about a non-sexual homoerotic bond between the characters Huck and Jim. This is an example of Fiedler's traditionally radical literary thinking.
"It really shocked the foundations of American literary scholarship," Shechner said of the controversial Huck and Jim essay. "It thrust him into the center of American literary scholarship, and he became a very, very important figure."
According to Shechner, Fiedler made his mark in the field of classic American literature of the 19th century with the book "Love and Death in the American Novel" contributing to Fiedler's reputation.
"He stormed the gates of American literary study," said Shechner. "Maybe, for his time in the 1950s, early 1960s, he was the most important scholar of American literature in the United States."
Aside from being one of UB's most distinguished professors, Fiedler was also an asset to the English department in many ways with his participation in the life of the department.
"He put us on the map," said Daly.
"In some ways, the reputation of this department as an important place to study rested on his shoulders," said Shechner.
According to Green, Fiedler was charismatic in the classroom, often teaching without notes or prepared lectures and admonishing his students to never accept preconceived ideas about literature.
"He would pace back and forth in the front of the class, toss out incredibly provocative questions, ideas, and associations, move his glasses from hand to eyes to forehead, quote from memory elaborate passages, tell jokes, and spin tales," stated Green.
According to colleagues, as accomplished and famous as he was, Fiedler remained grounded and balanced.
"Leslie was a writer, and a speaker, and a teacher, and he brought all of those things together extremely well," said Daly. "He was an extraordinary person."
Fiedler's symposium will be held in 250 Baird Hall, on Thursday, October 30, beginning at 8:30 a.m. More information may be found at the English department's Web site, http://wings.buffalo.edu/english.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
