Dickens and More

Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi a 3-tiered session on 6 May 2012 at the UT Guest House. The speakers of the day were Profs Susan Morgan and Eric Goodman, visiting briefly from the US, and Vivek Atray, well-known writer and bureaucrat from Chandigarh. Susan Morgan, who is a Distinguished Professor of English at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, has published widely and traveled around the globe on academic visits. During the course of her travels she grew fascinated with the story of the brilliant Anna Leonowens who has been immortalized in the You Brynner film “The King and I”. Probing deep into available resources, Morgan discovered new information on Anna that has eluded researchers for years. These findings were published in her book entitled “Bombay Anna”. In her talk today, Prof Morgan went into details of Anna’s life and adventures across the globe, from UK to India, Australia, Thailand, America and Canada. Her stint as the governess of the children of the King of Siam has been recorded in “Anna and the King” which became an iconic film, the main source of information on Siam and its people. Anna Leonowens traveled all over the world, witnessed some of the most fascinating events of the Age of Empire, and became a well-known travel writer, journalist, teacher, and lecturer. Eric Goodman, professor of creative writing and novelist, discussed the importance of place and the challenges of writing about race and the unspoken and sometimes unsavory secrets of our hearts. His fifth novel, “Twelfth and Race” – from which he read excerpts – speaks of the story of a mixed race couple, Richard Gordon and LaTisha Nelson, set against the backdrop of race riots in a fictional Midwestern metropolis, Calhoun City, Missouri. The novel, published in early March has been receiving very enthusiastic reviews. Goodman’s work has been awarded three Ohio Arts Council fellowships and residencies at the Headland Center for the Arts, the Ragdale Foundation and MacDowell. Vivek Atray, author of the recent novel “Move on Bunny,” made a powerpoint presentation highlighting the life and achievements of Charles Dickens who was born 200 years ago and continues to be a great favorite among readers of all ages and times. The presentation was very well-received and members of the audience showed their keenness to share their own experience of the Dickens’ magic. Chairperson of the CSA, Manju Jaidka, announced that the day’s event was a part of the annual Summer Bonanza that the Akademi organizes in the month of May. The second part of the bonanza will take place on 27th of May which will also present the annual round-up for 2011-2012. Today’s event was greatly appreciated by a hall packed to its fullest capacity by an enthusiastic audience. The general consensus was that the CSA has succeeded in making a difference to the cultural and intellectual life of the city. Link for pics:https://picasaweb.google.com/105464712099114161998/SusanEricDickens