The writer who didn't want to grow up

Fairy tales are written for children, but Gregory Maguire must not have gotten the memo.

His new novel, "Mirror, Mirror," is an original interpretation of the well known story of Snow White. With an energizing command of the podium and easy confidence, Tufts alum Maguire captivated his audience with a reading and discussion of "Mirror, Mirror, on Wednesday.

Maguire is the writer of the well-known novels "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister," and "Lost."

Producing props to aid his presentation from a seemingly endless tote of tricks, Maguire conveyed a zest for drama and literature during his discussion about "Mirror, Mirror."

"Mirror, Mirror" is set in renaissance Italy andthe story centers around the well-known Borgia family -- sometimes identified as the first family of organized crime. The corrupt, glamorous, and beautiful Lucrezia Borgia, lends herself well to the role of the vain mistress of the household and architect of the poisoned apple scheme. Cesare Borgia, Machiavelli's model for "The Prince" and a murderous duke, is Lucrezia's brother -- and lover.

Snow White (Bianca de Nevada) and her father are beholden to the Borgia family, and when Lucrezia grows jealous of Bianca's beauty ... well, the rest of the story is pretty self-explainable.

According to Maguire, "the story of Snow White is the story of evolution of a child to a woman, and of a woman growing old and accepting her corruption."

Maguire began as a children's book writer, and his novels for adults are essentially super-sophisticated children's stories. In "Wicked," his first novel for adults, he invents a back-story for the Wicked Witch of the West from "The Wizard of Oz," but also tackles the theme of ostracism. It turns out that Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West's real name) isn't so evil after all.

"Each [book] attempts to do something a little bit different with the cultural inheritance of the literature of childhood ... [they cut] across socio-economic, ethnic, and religious barriers," Maguire said.

Maguire's books are characterized by a rich texture, which comes from their insight into universal themes and basis on historical fact. "I pride myself on having taught myself to get things straight," Maguire said.

Maguire encouraged would-be writers to "read dangerously, adventurously ... Read if not for the reading, then for the poetry."

"Writing requires awareness. Noticing is the beginning," Maguire added.

Writer's block is something that happens to all writers, and Maguire had a unique way to combat it when writing "Mirror, Mirror." The book began as bits and pieces of text that came to him that he subsequently posted all about his kitchen on small squares of paper.

Maguire has enjoyed continued success with his novels for adults. "Wicked," the most successful of his books, has been adapted into a Broadway musical. "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister was turned into a made-for-TV movie.

Maguire received a Ph.D. from Tufts in 1990.