Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum ‘90, finalist for the 2004 National Book Award for Fiction, spoke to Class I and II students during Wednesday’s assembly in King Theatre on January 19.

Sarah read passages from her novel, Madeleine is Sleeping, including one about a fat woman Mathilde who sprouts wings to rise above the cobbles stones, scraps of food and the dirty, curious children below. Sarah also read from a short story about a young teacher and her class: While studying This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff, the teacher shared with her students stories of youthful misdeeds, finally admitting that she had not been an accomplished student herself—though she was more than proficient at any exam involving “bubbles”.

After the reading, students asked Sarah questions. Telling what genre influenced her novel most, Sarah said, “The most obvious is the fairy tale. I wanted to play with and subvert the fairy-tales [especially those about beautiful girls falling asleep].” Other literary influences, she said, included historical novels and magical realism. “Really, the novel is history, fairy-tales and magical realism all stirred together.”

Since graduating Milton Academy in 1990, Sarah has published her fiction in The Georgia Review, TriQuarterly, Alaska Quarterly Review, and The Best American Short Stories 2004. Her first novel, Madeleine is Sleeping, was a finalist for the 2004 National Book Award for Fiction.

Sarah Bynum's visit was part of the Bingham Lecture Series.