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Commonwealth Lecture Praises Realist Literature

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:28:22 GMT

Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie delivered the 2012 Commonwealth Lecture in London’s Guild Hall on 15 March. Ms Adichie's lecture was titled 'To Instruct and Delight: A Case for Realist Literature'.

Ms Adichie reminded her audience that ‘when we read human stories, we become alive in bodies not our own ... It seems to me that we live in a world where it has become increasingly important to try and live in bodies not our own, to embrace empathy, to constantly be reminded that we share, with everybody in every part of the world, a common and equal humanity.’

‘I read human stories,’ she said, ‘to be instructed and to be delighted. I also read to remind myself that I am not alone.’

Ms Adichie's lecture, presented by the Commonwealth Foundation, is available on You Tube. To watch the lecture, click here. You can also read a full transcript here.

'Unofficial' Course in Australian Literature at The University of Melbourne

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 02:18:22 GMT

A third-year English student at The University of Melbourne has initiated an 'unofficial' course in Australian literature because no formal classes are available. Stephanie Guest felt 'angry and disappointed' that she could not study her national literature at the university so she emailed friends and, receiving an enthusiastic response, organised a series of seminars.

Fitting Australian Literature into the Nation's Education Puzzle

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 04:53:04 GMT

Morag Fraser's 19 July column in the Age's 'Education' section attempts to find the place of Australian literature in Australia's education puzzle. One piece of her puzzle runs like this: 'there are many ways of educating students, but we know that one of the most effective is through story, through narrative. Australia is rich in narrators, but we are not keeping their stories in mind, let alone in print ... There is serious slippage between what we say we want for Australia and for the young people who are our future and what we are doing - and not doing - in and with our tertiary institutions.'

Fraser's other puzzle pieces are currently available online via the Age's website under the title 'Missing Pieces in a Very Australian Puzzle'.