Award-winning author Francine Prose read pages from an unfinished novel to students. The story grew from a photo titled Lesbian Couple at Le Monocle (1932) by Hungarian photographer George Brassaï, which Ms. Prose saw at a museum exhibit. Brassaï chronicled underground Paris nightlife during the 1930s. In this particular photo, one of the subjects was a former French athlete who was banned from competition due to her sexual orientation. Upon an invitation from Adolf Hitler, this woman attended the Berlin Olympics as his guest; she went on to become a spy for the Germans during World War II and was executed by the French Resistance. Ms. Prose was this spring’s Bingham Visiting Writer.
“I thought, ‘Wow, what an amazing story.’ What could be more fun than writing a scene set in the Berlin Olympics from the point of view of a furious lesbian who hates everyone!”