鈥孧onday October 5, 2015 – 6.30-8.30pm
厂别别听
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As an established writer in one language, how does one “relocate” to another language and another culture? This lecture/conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri -recent recipient of the National Humanities Medal- will focus on her recent book written in Italian and entitled听In altre parole, and limn some of the creative struggles and rewards of the choice to live in a foreign world and to write in foreign words.
The exploration of the听beauty and听richness of the Italian language acquires unexpected meanings when it is undertaken by a prominent writer in today鈥檚 literary landscape (The Namesake,听Interpreter of Maladies, among other works), whose link to Italy is exclusively shaped by an aesthetic affinity.鈥孡ahiri鈥檚 award-winning books are well known for their inquiry into the experience of people caught between two countries, worlds, and languages, namely the Indian one of the author鈥檚 parents and the American one of her own experience. Less well known is her deep interest in Italian culture and language, or as she terms it, her 鈥渓ove affair鈥 with it. The title of the program uses her book鈥檚 title, which means 鈥渋n other words,鈥 as a springboard to discuss not just language but also the broader experience of traveling through a different culture, its values and myths, and its artistic patrimony, in order to try to find a place within it. Lahiri鈥檚 tenacious and lyrical approach to the learning of a foreign language like Italian, which constitutes an object of desire for her and today 鈥渁 new home,鈥 is a fascinating story of risky exploration, formal control, as well as emotional closeness and creative challenge that promises to engage a diverse audience.
The presentation will be in English and Italian with consecutive translation.
Program
- Introductory remarks:听听(Italian Cultural Institute NY, Director)
- 鈥孲pecial guest:听听(补耻迟丑辞谤)
- 惭辞诲别谤补迟辞谤:听听(Inserra Chair, MSU)
- 搁别蝉辫辞苍诲别苍迟:听听(Classics and Humanities, MSU)
Jhumpa Lahiri听was born in London in 1967. The daughter of听Indian immigrants from the state of听West Bengal, she was taken by her family to听the United States at the age of two. In the 1990s, after earning her B.A. in English Literature, Lahiri visited Florence for a vacation, a life-changing experience that prompted her to study Italian and eventually to write a dissertation on the Italian Palazzo for her Ph.D. in Renaissance Studies at Boston University. Since then, Lahiri has continued to entertain an active relationship with Italy, which recently culminated in a stay as a “writer in residence” at the American Academy of Rome and the publication of a series of essays written in Italian and collected in the volume听In altre parole听(due out in a bilingual edition by Knopf in 2016). Her debut short story collection,听Interpreter of Maladies鈥, released in 1999, sold over one million copies and received the 2000听Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. After winning a Guggenheim Fellowship, in 2003 Lahiri published听The Namesake鈥, her听first novel, which then became a movie released in 2007 and听directed by听Mira Nair.听In 2013, her novel听The Lowland鈥屘齱as placed on the shortlist for the听Man Booker Prize and then听long-listed for the听National Book Award for Fiction. Lahiri lives in Brooklyn and has recently been appointed Professor of Creative Writing at Princeton University. On September 10th, she received the听听from President Obama at the White House.
- In collaboration with the听, the听听and the听听at 精品成人福利在线 University
- Spearheaded and sponsored by听听() at 精品成人福利在线 University
- Under the auspices of the听听(in connection with the Settimana della Lingua Italiana/Week听of Italian Language)鈥
Jhumpa Lahiri’s听听补苍诲听
(in Italian)
听(in Italian)
贵别补迟耻谤别诲听 颈苍听L’Internazionale听(in Italian)
贵别补迟耻谤别诲听 颈苍听The听Financial Times听(in English)
,听article听by Jhumpa Lahiri for听The New York Times听(in English)
Selection of听
Photo credit: Marco Delogu
Please Note:听A student contest has been created in connection with this event to let students of Italian get inspired by Jhumpa Lahiri’s use of metaphors to describe the process of learning Italian. The contest invites students to create their own metaphor. .