In philosophy, the absurd refers to the conflict between the human desire to find meaning in life and the fact that the more you search, the harder it is to find. This is what makes universities such absurd places. And through the use of a fictional college called Payne University, author Julie Schumacher puts that absurdity on full display.
Julie Schumacher is a faculty member in the creative writing program and the Department of English at the University of Minnesota. Her most recent novels, “Dear Committee Members” and “The Shakespeare Requirement” shine a sardonic light on academia.
The first is presented as a collection of letters from a disgruntled writing teacher named Jason Fitger. The second is a more traditional novel with Fitger as the protagonist. They are both wickedly funny and revealing. You can buy them wherever you buy your books.
