The work and legacy of acclaimed English writer, thinker and social observer Aldous Huxley will be celebrated at California Lutheran University next week when, for the first time, an international symposium on Huxley convenes in the United States.

The Fourth International Aldous Huxley Symposium begins July 31 at the Huntington Library in San Marino with the help and participation of CLU. Forty leading academics and Huxley experts will be staying at the private university in Thousand Oaks.

The involvement by CLU came at the suggestion of Joan Wines, chairwoman of the university's English Department.

Wines said she is part of the "Huxley community" in the Greater Los Angeles area, which included Huxley's widow, Laura, before she died of cancer in December. It also includes actor Leonardo DiCaprio and his father, George DiCaprio, who, with director Ridley Scott, are planning to make a movie version of Huxley's classic book "Brave New World."

"I knew Laura Huxley quite well, and she was still alive when we were planning this event," said Wines, who will lead a session about Laura during the symposium.

Wines is the North American liaison for the symposium, which is being held in cooperation with the Centre for Aldous Huxley Studies at Munster University in Germany.

According to the center's Web site, the International Aldous Huxley Society, founded in Munster in 1998, "has two chief purposes: to promote the academic study of the works of Aldous Huxley, (and) to make a wider public acquainted with the thought and writings of the author."

Peter Firchow, who has written numerous books and essays on Huxley, said that without Wines, the symposium might never have gotten off the ground here.

"I have tremendous admiration for Joan, and her organizational skills have made a tremendous difference to the meeting," he said by phone from his home in Minneapolis, where he recently retired as a professor of English and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota.

Aldous Huxley died at the age of 69 on Nov. 22, 1963, the same day President Kennedy was assassinated.

Born into an intellectually elite family that was part of England's ruling class, Huxley studied at Oxford University. He wrote his vision of a Utopian society, "Brave New World," in 1931, before moving to the United States in 1937 with his first wife, Maria. He updated his thoughts with the publication in 1958 of "Brave New World Revisited."

Other works included the nonfiction books "Doors of Perception" and "Heaven and Hell," about his experimentations with psychedelic drugs such as LSD.

"He was a prophet in the sense that he talked about environmental issues, overpopulation and limited resources," said Wines. "He foresaw those things. His work is more relevant than ever."

Firchow, who will be giving one of the lectures at the symposium, said Huxley "is one of those writers who appeals to people because he does answer questions they have in their lives."

"He appeals to people who have an interest in the issues of the mind. I think his legacy is more toward the general reader, not the academic world — to those who are interested in serious questions and serious answers."

CLU's participation is part of the university's ongoing mission and dedication to prepare students for leadership roles in a global community, Wines said.

"The bulk of the presenters from around the world are staying at CLU," she said.

During their time at CLU, scholars from Europe, China, Russia and India will be welcomed by university students, enjoy an international buffet and see the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company's production of "Henry IV," which influenced Huxley's "Time Must Have a Stop."

The symposium will be July 31 to Aug. 3 at the Huntington Library, with registration starting at 3:30 p.m. July 30 in the lobby of CLU's Pearson Library.

"A Woman's Vengeance," a 1948 film based on Huxley's "The Gioconda Smile," will follow at 4:30 p.m. in the Preus-Brandt Forum at CLU.

Passes for the entire event or individual days are available, and transportation will be provided between CLU and the Huntington.

For more information, contact Wines at 493-3277 or wines@callutheran.edu.