LOVER, BELOVED

In LOVER, BELOVED – an experimental blend of film, theater and music – singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega reinterprets two lectures delivered by American author Carson McCullers at the 92nd St. Y in New York City. The program offers viewers insight into McCullers' life lessons, viewed through the many facets of love. The first lecture took place in 1941, after the success of her debut novel, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. In this conversation, McCullers drank throughout, revealing messy romances and illnesses she experienced through the years. The second conversation, delivered 25 years later, found McCullers confronting her mortality and reminiscing about her novel and play, The Member of The Wedding. McCullers also reflected on her two failed marriages and romances with both sexes, ending her talk with the credo she forged with her husband. Suzanne’s interpretation of the conversations emphasizes that agape love, or a selfless love, matters in this life, rather than erotic love. Ironically, McCullers, despite her compassion, was destined to solitude.