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Jorge Luis Borges imagined paradise as a kind of library, and on August 11th many of us in the Hamptons had a tiny glimpse of paradise at the East Hampton Library Authors Night benefit. The well-attended (upwards of 1,000 people) annual fundraiser gathers together 160 or so authors to sign their books under a tent, followed by a number of private dinners with various authors as guests of honor. Hamptons Magazine hosts the largest of these dinners, and for three years running I have been privileged to open my home and personal library on this night to an extraordinary group of people: authors and booklovers, and of course party lovers. Guests tell me they are captivated by the evening—they use the word magical—and I don’t argue. I’m quite sure no one enjoys the spirited conversations and the glamour of the evening more than I do.
We at the magazine all love the written word, so supporting the East Hampton Library has considerable meaning for us. Unlike most public libraries, East Hampton is funded primarily by private donations rather than taxpayer money, and so Authors Night truly benefits our community. That’s the reason so many acclaimed authors participate and so many prominent residents host the dinners.
Ali Wentworth, who signed her book, “Ali in Wonderland and Other Tall Tales,” at the library event and was a featured author at the Hamptons party—and was also pictured on the cover of the magazine that week—told me, "Author's night was like some magical Fellini film in a field of dreams. One minute I'm giggling about sex with Dr. Ruth Westheimer and the next I'm eyeing with admiration Martin Amis.”
Scott Annan, author of “Aimbitious: Creating a Wealthy Life, Inside and Out,” brought a bit of practical wisdom to the dinner, and Robert Klein, author of “The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue: A Child of the Fifties Looks Back,” brought his uncommon humor.
There were so many books to celebrate over dinner. There was fiction: “Between You and Me,” the new novel by the “Nanny Diaries” team of Emma NcLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. There was food and health: Sam Talbot’s “The Sweet life: Diabetes without Boundaries.” There was show business: Stewart F. Lane’s new book, “Jews on Broadway: An Historical Survey of Performers, Playwrights, Composers, Lyricists and Producers.” “In an age where everyone is downloading books,” Lane commented, “authors don't get to see their readers face to face and hand them a book. At the East Hampton Library Authors Night I get to meet people who still like to hold paper books in their hands, and there is something very special about that.”
And there were life (and lifestyle) defining moments with Jennifer Gilbert, who recently published her personal narrative, “I Never Promised You a Goodie Bag: A Memoir of Life Through Events, the Ones You Plan and the Ones You Don’t.” When I asked Gilbert to describe the evening, she responded, “The Authors Night event was just magical. Cocktails in the idyllic setting of your incredible library, then dinner in a tent hosted by Hamptons Magazine honoring select authors. It had such a warm and thoughtful vibe. I kept pinching myself because I was actually one of them!”
It was not only writers who represented the arts. Alec Baldwin, whose foundation is the major benefactor of Authors Night, attended the magazine party with his recent bride, Hilaria.
I can’t say how close we might have come to that imagined paradise of Borgas, but I am sure that in some intuitive way all these individuals who love reading and writing brought about the magic and allure of the evening. Of course there was not enough time to finish all the conversations—but that’s what a happy and memorable party is all about.