Christopher Buckley, novelist, political satirist and editor, will present “Thank You for Smoking: A Conversation With Christopher Buckley,” as the ArtSci Council/Neureuther Library Lecture for the Assembly Series.
The talk, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 11 a.m. Feb. 21 in Graham Chapel.
Buckley, who was awarded the 2004 Thurber Prize for American Humor for his novel “No Way to Treat a First Lady,” is the author of 11 books. His acclaimed novel, “Thank You for Smoking,” was made into a film by the same name in 2006. Its protagonist is a lobbyist for the tobacco industry.
Buckley’s 1999 book, “Little Green Men,” about a government agency investigating UFO sightings, also will be made into a film with a scheduled 2008 release.
His upcoming novel, “Boomsday,” explores the plight of baby-boomers and generational warfare.
Widely known for his wit and wry humor, Buckley was a speechwriter for Vice President George H.W. Bush.
After graduating with honors from Yale University and a stint with the Merchant Marines, Buckley became managing editor of Esquire Magazine at age 24.
He published his first best-seller, the travelogue “Steaming to Bamboola: The World of a Tramp Freighter,” five years later.
In 1989, the late Malcolm Forbes hired Buckley to start a new magazine, Forbes FYI, now known as ForbesLife. It is published bi-monthly and is an irreverent lifestyle magazine chronicling “The Good Life.”
Besides his satirical novels, travelogues and short stories, Buckley has written for national newspapers and magazines and has published more than 50 comic essays in The New Yorker.
He is the son of William F. Buckley Jr., renowned novelist, journalist and commentator.
For more information, call 935-4620 or visit assemblyseries.wustl.edu.