Folio Presents: Relative Relatives: Matthew Sturgis in Conversation with Richard Read

Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum is delighted to welcome acclaimed biographer Matthew Sturgis and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Richard Read for an evening of brilliant insights, historical gossip, and a deep dive into the lives of some of history’s most fascinating second fiddles. Sturgis is one of the world’s leading authorities on Oscar Wilde, who revolutionized history and culture by championing the Aesthetic movement and became an icon of individual freedom and LGBTQ+ resilience.

While history often shines its spotlight on the blazing genius of Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley, and Julian Sturgis, their siblings, Willie, Mabel, and Howard lived in the permanent, complicated shadows of that immense fame. In Relative Failures: The Lives of Willie Wilde, Mabel Beardsley and Howard Sturgis, Matthew explores whether these figures were merely relative failures when measured against their legendary kin, or if their own eccentric, creative, and tragic lives merit their own spotlight.

In a delightfully literal twist on the book’s title, our speakers are relative relatives themselves. Matthew Sturgis and Rich Read are third cousins once removed. Their common ancestor, Russell Sturgis (Rich’s great-great-great-grandfather), fathered American children during the 1830s. Then, after remarrying and settling in London, Russell (Matthew’s great-great-grandfather) sired British offspring. The U.S. and U.K. branches grew close during World War II, when families on the American side took in children of the British branch, including Matthew’s father, to keep them safe in the United States during the German bombing of Britain.

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