Speaker offers look at local writer
By Hayley Burgess
Managing Editor
As part of Black History Month, Dr. Maria Orban spoke about the African- American writer Charles W. Chesnutt, 1858-1932, and how living in Fayetteville influenced his writings.
Dr. Orban is the co-editor of Charles Chesnutt Reappraised: Essays on the First Major African American Fiction Writer.
Dr. Orban is a professor at Fayetteville State University.
According to Dr. Orban, Chesnutt's experiences while living in Fayetteville shaped the way he wrote, and many of the wellknown landmarks in Fayetteville can be identified in his fiction stories.
"He is very important to Fayetteville," Dr. Orban said. "Fayetteville had a big impact on his work. He used the spirit of the place in all his writings."
In one of his works, Chesnutt described his walk through downtown Fayetteville and included landmarks such as the First Presbyterian Church, Saint Patrick's Catholic Church and Liberty Point. There is a virtual tour available on Fayetteville State's website of the landmarks at http://faculty.uncfsu.edu/jyoung/ downtown.htm .
Dr. Orban also discussed Chesnutt's characters and short stories and how his culture affected his writings.
Chesnutt had white ancestors and Dr. Orban said he could pass for white all the time, but he did not identify with the white culture and represented an outsider for both the black and the white cultures. She said in Chesnutt's writing, he showed the conflict of two races and cultures, and he was interested in the struggle of the contemporary society.
"He was a good, solid writer," Dr. Orban said.
Chesnutt was awarded the NAACP's Spingarn Medal for his life's work in 1928 and on Jan. 31, 2008, the United States Postal Service honored Chesnutt with the 31st stamp in the Black Heritage Series.
