The Italian Program is delighted to announce a lecture by the novelist and educator Amara Lakhous (Professor in the Practice, Department of Italian Studies, Yale University) on Monday, October 21, 2024 at 5pm in Barco Law Building, Room 111. Audience Q&A will follow Prof. Lakhous’ lecture.
"Writing fiction in both Arabic and Italian has significantly broadened my vision. I’ve had to step into my characters’ shoes and view the world through their eyes. Many of these characters are vastly different from me: an elderly Neapolitan concierge, an Iranian refugee, a young Egyptian migrant woman, and others. When I write, I temporarily set aside my identity as a Muslim man—Algerian, Italian, and American—and embrace a world of diversity. Moreover, blending Italian and Arabic opens up new creative paths, allowing me to develop a distinctive style, enriching Italian with Arabic influences and infusing Arabic with Italian elements."
One of Italy’s most acclaimed novelists and an established writer in Arabic and Italian, Amara Lakhous is an outstanding example of a novelist, essayist, public intellectual, translator, and navigator between and among very different cultures. Indeed, according to Pulitzer-Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri, Lakhous “has transformed the Italian literary landscape” precisely by “conveying the reality of a transforming Italy.”
Lakhous is the author, among other things, of the novels Scontro di civiltà per un ascensore in Piazza Vittorio (published in English as Clash of Civilizations over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio); Divorzio all’islamica a viale Marconi (Divorce Islamic Style); and Contesa per un maialino italianissimo a San Salvario) (Dispute Over a Very Italian Piglet).
This event is organized by the Department of French & Italian, and generously co-sponsored by the Department of English, the English Writing Program, the Less Commonly Taught Languages Program, the Department of Linguistics, and the Italian Nationality Room Committee