CONTACT: ALKA GUPTA, 718-488-1015, [email protected]
Brooklyn, NY--"Jorge Luis Borges at the Millennium" is the theme of a conference to be held at Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus on Friday, December 3, to commemorate the centennial of the birth of one of Latin America's most influential and admired writers. Sponsored by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, the conference will feature panel discussions in English and Spanish on the author's literary influence and his socio-historic significance, as well as performances of Argentine tango music and dance.
Born in 1899 in Argentina, Borges is considered a major figure in world literature. He was one of the first writers to explore post-modernism and was a precursor to Latin America's "magic realism" movement. He is known for his short stories, poetry and works of criticism. A recent English re-translation of his stories has served to heighten American awareness of his important role in contemporary literary history.
The conference runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Some topics that will be discussed are: Borges's place in 20th-century literary history; his notion of the epic; his translation of Whitman's Leaves of Grass; his creation of new fictional worlds transcending both geographical and textual boundaries; and his singular formation of Latin American nationhood. Presenters include Diego Alonso, Gina Ponce de Leon, Mark Couture, Gregary Racz, Margarita Saona, Isaac Roster, Fernando Iturburu and Patrice McSherry.
For more information, call Dr. Celia Lichtman at 718-488-1662.
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