Literature
Sri Lankan Novelist Anuk Arudpragasam Reflects on War, Guilt, and Fiction at Mahindra Humanities Center Talk
Sri Lankan novelist Anuk Arudpragasam argued at the Mahindra Humanities Center on Monday that fiction can give moral weight to lives shaped by civil war — and to the guilt of surviving it.
Harvard Denied Its Only Yiddish Professor Tenure. Did the Process Fail Him?
When Yiddish studies professor Saul Noam Zaritt was denied tenure in June at the direction of Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76, Zaritt’s own tenure review committee was stunned. They say Harvard mishandled the case — and left the future of Yiddish instruction in limbo.
Elif Batuman ’99 Talks ‘The Idiot’ and Writing Process at Humanities Event
Hundreds gathered in Emerson Hall Thursday to hear American author Elif Batuman ’99, an award-winning novelist whose Pulitzer Prize-finalist novel "The Idiot" was based off her experience as a freshman at Harvard.
Creative Writing Collective Organizes South Asian Poetry Series
From the end of March through last week, the Harvard Creative Writing Collective held a series of poetry readings hosted by South Asian authors.
Houghton Library Presents New Exhibition on Animal Anthropomorphism
After remaining closed for nearly two years, Houghton Library premiered its exhibition “Animals Are Us” — which explores the use of animal anthropomorphism in literature — to the public this semester.
Rachelle Grossman
Rachelle T. Grossman is a G4 in the Department of Comparative Literature.
FrankenReads
There was a marathon reading of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in Houghton Library from 9am until 4pm Wednesday.
Edgar Allan Faux Reading
Rob Velella impersonates Edgar Allan Poe at Mt. Auburn Cemetery's Story Chapel on Saturday afternoon.
Mahindra Humanities Award
J. M. Coetzee, the winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature, was presented with the Mahindra Award for Global Distinction in the Humanities in Sanders Theatre.
Edgar Allan Faux
Rob Velella impersonates Edgar Allan Poe at Mt. Auburn Cemetery's Story Chapel on Saturday afternoon.
Novelist Colson Whitehead Wins 2018 Harvard Arts Medal
“I accept this on behalf of the fourth floor of Pennypacker. May you all live in peace and harmony,” Whitehead said.
Min Jin Lee
Min Jin Lee, who is the author of Free Food for Millionaires (2007) and Pachinko (2017), spoke about her publications and work at Emerson Hall.
A Literary Analysis of Yaz and Cam's "Re: Back at it"
Through its immeasurable range of rhetorical chutzpah, “Re: Back at it” sends readers on an electrifying odyssey through the brilliant literary minds behind Harvard’s student government.
Humanities 10 Students Spend Wintersession with 'Ulysses'
While many relished the last week of their winter vacation, 24 enthusiastic students returned to campus a week early for a Wintersession course on James Joyce’s “Ulysses.”
You Can Do It!
Sarah L. McCuskee '13 works diligently on a paper for her tutorial in literature.
The Springboard: Alumni in the Arts Recall Studies at Harvard
Harvard grads in the arts—from the creators of “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation,” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” to Broadway musicians and authors—remember a formative Harvard education, albeit one largely lacking in technical arts instruction.
Houghton Library Exhibit Brings Shakespeare to the Yard
The Houghton Library exhibit “Shakespeare: His Collected Works,” which features a wide array of collections about the playwright from Harvard and around the world, will come to and end this month.
Unspeakably Aged
I have tried to discern why we felt and feel so old: why HAA membership smacks of the AARP; why my friends talk of penultimate experiences as if commencement will bring coffins, not diplomas; why I perceive habits and flippant acts ossifying into destiny.
Accidentally in Love: Verena Conley
My big obsession right now is the question of care, in the sense of attentiveness to the world. We live in a world of censors where experience is discounted, but I still wanted to go back to a case where the woman from [this world] becomes observant and starts to look at the world better.
A Readable Feast
The Harvard English Department shares their favorite succulent meals in literature.
Ruminating on Race, Toni Morrison Gives First Norton Lecture
Nobel prize-winning author Toni Morrison captivated a packed Sanders Theater with her first lecture as the 2016 Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry Wednesday evening, discussing race and racism, rape, and migration through a series of personal anecdotes and literary selections.
Tea Party
“‘I want a clean cup,’ interrupted the Hatter: ‘let’s all move one place on.’ He moved on as he spoke, and the Dormouse followed him: the March Hare moved into the Dormouse’s place, and Alice rather unwillingly took the place of the March Hare."
Colm in Conversation
Novelist Colm Tóibín in conversation with Senior Lecturer on Fiction Claire Messud as part of the ‘Writers Speak’ series.
The Humanities at Work
The universe of higher education often bemoans a "crisis" in the humanities, with supposedly dwindling numbers and few job prospects. At Harvard, humanities concentrators face a crisis of choice, attempting to balance their passions with factors like stability and employment. For Harvard graduates, the question is not so much whether you’ll get a job with a humanities degree—it’s where.
15 Questions: Claire Messud
Claire Messud is the newest addition to Harvard’s creative writing faculty, and an acclaimed novelist, speaker, and lecturer. Her novel, The Emperor’s Children, was a New York Times bestseller. In 2002, she was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts. She lives in Somerville with her husband, fellow Harvard English Professor James Wood. She leads two fiction workshops.
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