by Elyssa Andrus
The
Daily Herald
As American soldiers battle enemy forces in Iraq, former U.S. president and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter spoke Saturday at Sundance resort about a different conflict -- the Revolutionary War. He called it "the most important part of our nation's history."
Carter's appearance in Utah County was part of Sundance's Tree Room Author Series, which brings prominent writers to the resort to discuss their work. Carter was promoting his newest book, "The Hornet's Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War."
The event had long been sold out, and the resort moved the lecture from its Tree Room restaurant to the larger rehearsal hall to accommodate a packed crowd of 175.
Prior to his address, Carter, dressed in a blazer, khakis and a bolo tie, mingled with guests, posed for pictures and dined on brunch with his wife, Rosalynn.
In his address, Carter said "The Hornet's Nest" is the first fictional work by a U.S. president.
"When I was about halfway through, I could understand why," he said, drawing laughs from the audience.
The former president said writers have addressed conflicts such as Vietnam and the Civil War at great lengths, but not as much has been written about the pivotal conflict that led to American independence.
"This was by far the most vicious war in America's history," he said.
Early colonial life meant that at various times colonists were required to swear their allegiance to England and its king, he said. But the tides were turning.
"One by one -- literally -- the American colonists violated that oath to London and became a revolutionary, or, as the British would have said then -- a terrorist."
Carter, the author of 18 books, said "The Hornet's Nest" took seven years to write. With characters patterned partly after Carter's own ancestors, the novel follows two young lovers swept up in America's struggle for independence. The book's title refers to a rugged area of northeast Georgia used as a haven by a small band of revolutionaries.
To write "The Hornet's Nest," Carter said he studied fiction writing techniques as well as history.
"It was a labor of love," he said -- one that required meticulous research and many trips to the library at Emory University, where Carter has been a distinguished professor for two decades.
Although Carter's work is a historical novel, most of the works in this year's Tree Room Author Series are nonfiction. This year's series has a political flavor, with a lineup that includes columnist and Emmy-winning television host David Horowitz, and former White House terrorism czar Richard Clarke.
Sundance founder Robert Redford introduced Carter, saying that while in office, the 39th president of the United States showed a remarkable concern for peace, human rights and justice.
"It's when he left office that his commitment shone even brighter," Redford said.
He added, "What really kind of blows me away is when I stop and think about what this man has done since leaving office."
The former president is founder of the Carter Center, a nonprofit organization that works on public policy issues. He was honored in 2002 with the Nobel Peace Prize.
"I think he is one of the greatest humanitarians of our days," said Pleasant Grove resident Lola Bento, 78, who had purchased tickets to the event in March. "He's so sincere and level-headed in his decisions."
Bento, a registered Democrat, lamented that "there are so few Democrats in Utah County." But on Saturday she said she felt as though she were among friends in a room full of strangers.
Although the audience consisted primarily of adults, a few children and young adults attended with their parents. Carter stopped to pose for a picture with 10-year-old Alex Kennedy, of Piedmont, Calif.
Alex and her family were in town for the Labor Day weekend. She said that although she hasn't finished "The Hornet's Nest," she is interested in politics and likes what she has read so far.
"I've only just started it, but I think it promises to be intriguing," Alex said. She plans to display the photo she took with Carter in her bedroom as a token of hope for the future.
"My ultimate goal would actually be to be the president of the United States," she said.
It seemed she was in good company.
© Copyright 2004, The Daily Herald.