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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels July 8, 2004 OSF veteran tackles Hawthorne Barry Kraft, renowned Oregon Shakespeare Festival actor and dramaturge, will enchant families at the Ashland Public Library by reading Nathaniel Hawthorne's "A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys." These special, free events will take place in the library's Gresham Room from 7 to 8 p.m. July 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28 as well as Aug. 3 and 4. Kraft, who has been with the OSF for about 20 seasons, has previously fascinated children and adults by reading to them selections from "Stuart Little" and "Frog and Toad." When asked why he chose to read this book, he stated that it was the 200th anniversary of Hawthorne's birth, and he wanted to honor this great American author because of the influence Hawthorne's book had on his life. "When I was a boy, growing up in Laguna Beach, Calif., I lived in a home filled with books," he said. Kraft said two of the books captivated him. "They were Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys' and its sequel, 'Tanglewood Tales,'" he said. "This was my first introduction to the world of Greek mythology, and I was spellbound." He said he now realizes the influence these two books had on his life. "Looking back from the vantage point of half a century on, since first having opened these books, I now realize how they have shaped my life," he said. "First, they launched me into an obsession with the story of the Trojan War and its aftermath, the adventures of Odysseus. One of my most vivid boyhood memories is that of uprooting bamboo spears' from a grove just below my home and using them in conjunction with garbage pail lids for shields in many a battle royal along the plains of Troy. ... Since Hector was my hero, the Trojans always won." When Kraft attended college, he chose a minor in classics. "Swept out of school into the world of professional theater, I settled on Shakespeare as my favorite playwright, working for 37 summers of my life at Shakespeare festivals," he said. Shakespeare allows Kraft to keep in touch with the great stories of Greece and Rome, he said. "His plays are treasure troves of classical mythology," Kraft said. "When I realized that July 4, 2004, would be the 200th anniversary of Nathaniel Hawthorne's birth, I thought, 'What a nice birthday tribute to Mr. Hawthorne it would be to read his Wonder Book for Girls and Boys to a new generation of children.'" For more information, call the Ashland Children's Library at 774-6995. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams