Michael Dirda — The Great Age of Storytelling: The Glory Days of Adventurers and Rogues, Time Travelers and Great Detectives — at Conn Ave
Michael Dirda presents *The Great Age of Storytelling*, a wide-ranging celebration of classic adventure, mystery, fantasy, romance, and time-travel fiction. Focusing primarily on English-language literature published between 1880 and 1930, Dirda invites audiences to rediscover the excitement and comfort of older stories while considering their influence on modern genre writing.
The discussion draws on works including *Kidnapped*, *The Prisoner of Zenda*, *The Island of Dr. Moreau*, *Kim*, *The Scarlet Pimpernel*, *Trent’s Last Case*, *Captain Blood*, *The Enchanted Castle*, and *The Man Who Was Thursday*. Dirda also highlights less familiar authors and books, from Stanley J. Weyman’s historical romances and Richard Marsh’s gothic thriller *The Beetle* to the comic fiction of F. Anstey and other predecessors of P. G. Wodehouse. Additional subjects include fictional villains such as Dr. Nikola, Dr. Fu Manchu, Madame Koluchy, and Monsieur Zenith; E. R. Eddison’s *The Worm Ouroboros*; *The Marvellous Land of Snergs*, an influence on Tolkien; Margaret Irwin’s time-slip novel *Still She Wished for Company*; and the speculative cautionary works *Mecannia, the Super-State* and *Swastika Night*.
Dirda is a Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and longtime *Washington Post* book columnist who also contributes to the *Times Literary Supplement*, the *New York Review of Books*, and other literary journals. His previous books include *An Open Book*, *Readings*, *Bound to Please*, *Book by Book*, *Classics for Pleasure*, *Browsings*, and *On Conan Doyle*, which earned an Edgar Award. A lifelong Sherlock Holmes enthusiast, he was inducted into the Baker Street Irregulars in 2002 and lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.
When: Tuesday, December 1, 2026
Showtimes: The event begins at 7:00 p.m.
Venue: Politics and Prose at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Format: The page provides a livestream option in addition to the in-person event.
Tickets: Free admission, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Accessibility: To request accommodations or ask about accessibility, email events@politics-prose.com. The venue ideally requests inquiries at least one week before the event but will try to accommodate requests made up to the event.
Related book: *The Great Age of Storytelling: The Glory Days of Adventurers and Rogues, Time Travelers, and Great Detectives* is available for preorder in hardcover for $35.00, with publication listed for December 1, 2026.