Author, polyglot, and Yale professor Amara Lakhous, PhD, will share insights on cultural fluidity and the complexities of writing across languages.
The College of Arts and Sciences will host acclaimed author and professor Amara Lakhous, PhD, for a thought-provoking lecture, "Languages as Mirrors: Navigating Transnational and Translingual Writing," on Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. in Room 101 of the DiMenna-Nyselius Library Auditorium. This free public event is part of the FYE Inspire Series and promises to explore the intersection of language, identity, and creativity.
Dr. Lakhous, a professor in the practice of Italian Studies at Yale University, is a prolific writer with a rich portfolio of novels, short stories, essays, and screenplays. His work transcends linguistic and cultural borders, challenging barriers such as language, gender, nationality, and citizenship that often act as forms of exclusion. With deep involvement in the translation of his works, Dr. Lakhous collaborates closely with his translators, whom he describes as essential partners: “Aside from the author, no one engages with the text as deeply as translators do.”
Born and educated in Algeria, he writes in Arabic and Italian, with his works translated into multiple languages including English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Japanese, Danish, Berber, and Farsi. A polyglot, he reflects on his use of Tamazight, Arabic, French, Italian, and English as creative tools, describing them as mirrors that shape a “new vision and style” essential to his writing process. "The reflection between these mirrors," he explains, "represents my path to creativity."
The "Languages as Mirrors: Navigating Transnational and Translingual Writing" lecture on Oct. 30 is open to the public and will invite participants to engage with Dr. Lakhous's insights on cultural fluidity and the complexities of writing across languages. Students studying any language are encouraged to attend and take part in the discussion.
This lecture is sponsored by the Humanities Institute of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Art Institute, the Department of Modern Languages & Literatures, and the programs in Islamic World Studies and Italian Studies.
For more information, please contact Professor Mary Ann Carolan, director of the Italian Studies program, at mcarolan@fairfield.edu.
