Welcome to chapter 29 of the book column. Books about IU are being published this year, but IU affiliates are also write their own books. One such affiliate is doctoral candidate James Gilmore.
Gilmore is publishing his anthology, “Orson Welles in Focus,” through the Indiana University Press.
Orson Welles was an American actor, director and producer throughout the mid-20th century. He is known for his 1938 broadcast “War of the Worlds” and his film “Citizen Kane.” However, the book looks at more than these well-known accomplishments. Gilmore said the book captures the depth of Welles’ work in media.
Welles also contributed greatly to media structure today. It is these lesser-known accomplishments that are the focus of the book.
“I am a fan of Welles’ films, but more than that, I am a fan of how Welles saw the power of mass communication and media in general,” Gilmore said.
The book includes essays by different scholars that were presented at the 2015 symposium. The works were expanded to fill entire chapters of the book. Gilmore said he is partial to his own essay in the collection that is about Welles’ social and political activism.
Gilmore, a doctoral candidate at IU, is currently writing his dissertation. He earned his undergraduate degree in Film and Media Studies from the University of South Carolina. His master’s degree is in film and television from University of California at Los Angeles.
Gilmore's dissertation is titled, "Knowing the Everyday: Wearable Technologies and the Informatic Domain."
The idea for “Orson Welles In Focus” was created in the spring of 2015 during the Orson Welles Centennial Symposium at IU. The event was put on by the Lilly Library, the media school and the cinema.
“The Lilly actually houses one of the two largest collections of Welles' professional and personal papers in the country,” Gilmore said.
Some of these personal papers helped many of the contributing scholars of the book write their essays. Gilmore said many IU-based folks helped make the book possible as well.
The book is written and structured to be helpful for future centennials of Welles’ work and accomplishments. Since it used so many of his personal papers instead of just his popular work, it gives an in-depth look at Welles.
Gilmore also noted the essential help of his co-editor, Professor Sidney Gottlieb of Sacred Heart University.
“Orson Welles in Focus” is available on Amazon for $36. Fans of film and old-school media communications should be sure to add this book to their reading lists.
