Mirroring the Blue Devil tradition of lining up for coveted basketball or concert tickets, eager fans spanned West Campus Saturday afternoon.
But the line contained a different breed of enthusiast-the avid reader.
Students and community members filled Page Auditorium to hear novelist Tom Wolfe address the question "What is Southern today?" The author of such novels as "Bonfire of the Vanities" and "I Am Charlotte Simmons" joined 80 other writers for the weeklong 2006 North Carolina Festival of the Book.
The Richmond, Va., native began by describing the South through sound effects. He animatedly imitated the noises of a tube of biscuits cracked open to make grits, the blasting of a car's air conditioning left on high and the racket made by a leaf blower disturbing an otherwise serene setting.
"Those are all sounds of the South, and they should be recorded in literature," Wolfe said.
He continued his analysis of Southern sounds by setting the stage of the Bristol 500-a biannual Nascar race in Bristol, Tenn., that he called the biggest sporting event in America.
Wolfe contrasted the clamor of the Southern "good old boys" in the bleachers with the cool detachment of the "neckties and the suits" who escape the frenzy in their skyboxes.
"It successfully removes you from the event," Wolfe said of the air-conditioned isolation of the wealthy spectators. "Meantime, the real fans are there in the stands."
Wolfe said the Southern-good-old-boy perspective provides a rich source of literary material.
He said the influence of the South on American military history was a central theme in his 1979 novel "The Right Stuff," but he also learned about the importance of stepping beyond familiar boundaries while writing the book.
Wolfe praised realist authors like Charles Dickens and John Steinbeck for exposing themselves to new realms and said a writer's personal experience provides essential but limited literary material.
"Students hear the common maxim 'write what you know,'" Wolfe said. "If you want to write what you know, write one book."
He added that a well-rounded novelist explores unfamiliar territory.
"Do not underestimate your power to know something else," Wolfe said.
During a question-and-answer session following the speech, several audience members asked Wolfe about his opinions on current events.
The subjects of their queries ranged from his attitude on immigration to the perceived similarities between the characters in his novels and individuals involved in recent rape allegations against members of the men's lacrosse team.
Wolfe said he did not want to take a stance on the topic of immigration, which will be the focus of his next novel.
"I am just a social secretary," he said. "I do believe there is such a thing as objectivity."
Wolfe also declined to compare the circumstances in some of his works to the current situation at the University.
"None of these people in the fiction or in real life lived within 600 miles of Durham, North Carolina," he said.
Community members and students gave Wolfe's speech mixed reviews.
Chapel Hill resident Patsy Davis said she was disappointed that Wolfe did not discuss the common perception that Dupont University-the fictional setting of his novel "I Am Charlotte Simmons"-is modeled after Duke.
Freshman Stacy Chudwin said she appreciated Wolfe's wise words. "He has been a very prolific writer in the past. When Tom Wolfe gives you advice, you take it," she said.
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