An Evening with Hernan Diaz

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Hernan Diaz turns from America’s past toward an imagined future in a Books & Books conversation celebrating the release of his third novel, Ply. Taking place Saturday, October 3, the event introduces a speculative story about technology, social transformation and the shifting boundaries between individual identity and collective life.

Set centuries in the future after the dismantling of the state, Ply follows an orphan who grows up to become a “pincher,” stealing electricity from the grid and selling it on the black market. Her work draws her into an underground art and music scene, where she powers clandestine concerts, before bringing her into contact with a scientific invention capable of altering reality. Diaz blends elements of family drama, social speculation and scientific thriller while examining questions of technology, belonging and human connection.

Diaz won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Trust, which was also named to The New York Times’ list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. His debut novel, In the Distance, was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award, and his work has been translated into 37 languages.

The event begins at 5 p.m. Ticket options include admission with a copy of Ply for one or two guests, as well as a limited number of free admission tickets without a book.