Notes From a Work in Progress: Michael Chabon

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FATHER, HUSBAND, PARTNER, even grown son — it's not easy being a man. That's part of the reason former boy and current beloved author Michael Chabon wrote "Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father and Son."

Chabon — who signs, reads from and discusses the new book at Lisner Auditorium in a Politics & Prose-sponsored event on Friday — is known for his novels, from "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" and "The Wonder Boys" to "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" and "The Yiddish Policeman's Union," but he is equally at home with autobiographical fiction, which he's tackled before in short essays. "Manhood for Amateurs" concentrates on one thorny subject, that of how to be a man in the world.

In humorous and meditative chapters, Chabon looks back on his childhood in Maryland, his relationship with his father and with the multiple father figures who have come into his life. As the page numbers climb, the author grows, passing into maturity while trying to maintain solid grounding on the shifting sands of needs and expectations — he's now a son and father both, a husband, a friend, a professional and a guy.

As he promises in the title, Chabon readily admits his regrets, but the pleasures run deeper. Someday he may even become a revered father figure himself to a young writer negotiating his own masculinity.

» Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st St. NW; Fri., Oct. 9, 7 p.m., $7, $25.99 for two free tickets and book; 202-364-1919. (Foggy Bottom-GWU)

Photo courtesy Harper Collins