Sharon Marcus

“Why do so many people care so much about celebrities? Who decides who gets to be a star?” These are among the questions driving The Drama of Celebrity, a 2019 book by Columbia University Orlando Harriman professor of English and comparative literature Sharon Marcus. Drawing on extensive research and archival materials, including scrapbooks, personal diaries and vintage fan mail, Marcus examines celebrity culture throughout the last two centuries. “Celebrity has always been the result of unpredictable interactions between media, publics and stars themselves,” she explains in a Q&A with publisher Princeton University Press. Pop-culture enthusiasts hear all about it at a book talk benefiting the Vermont Foodbank.