Author Tom Wolfe wowed a Lowell Lecture Hall audience Friday night with his insights on college social life, dating, fashion and, of course, the state of contemporary American literature.

Wolfe was at Harvard to receive the Author of the Year award from the Lampoon, a semi-secret Sorrento Square organization that used to occasionally publish a so-called humor magazine. The 'Poonsters inducted Wolfe as an honorary member and hosted him at a private dinner and party following the lecture.

The author of books including The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, The Right Stuff, The Bonfire of the Vanities, and most recently, A Man in Full, Wolfe is known for biting social satire.

Arriving in his trademark white suit, Wolfe began the lecture by surveying the audience's fashion sense.

"Dress standards could be improved," he quipped.

Looking at a young man wearing a sideways baseball cap he asked, "Did you mug some seven year-old?"

Wolfe is currently researching college life for his latest book, scheduled for publication in 2002. Using the "American university" as his subject, Wolfe hopes to capture an interesting subset of the country's culture.

"Universities have replaced the church as the place where values are established and created," he said.