World-renowned author Margaret Atwood will visit Syracuse University in April as The College of Arts and Sciences' Jeanette K. Watson Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Humanities. She will participate in a variety of lectures, seminars and classes April 14-21.
Atwood is one of the world's most celebrated authors. She has written more than 35 books, including "Surfacing" (1972), "The Handmaid's Tale" (1985), "Cat's Eye" (1988), "Alias Grace" (1996) and "The Blind Assassin" (2000), for which she won the Booker Prize and the Dashiell Hammett Award. Her latest books are "Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing" (2002) and the novel "Oryx and Crake" (2003), which has been nominated for the Booker Prize and the Giller Prize.
"Atwood's work combines remarkable intelligence with a compelling imaginative vision; the scope of her powers is extraordinary," says Eric Holzwarth, assistant dean in The College of Arts and Sciences. "The beauty of the Watson Professorship is that the duration of her visit provides sustained conversation with University students and faculty in a variety of settings, from public lectures to individual classes and small departmental seminars. I expect her visit will stimulate the remarkable exchange of ideas that has become the hallmark of the Watson Professorship."
In advance of Atwood's visit to Syracuse, a one-hour documentary, "Margaret Atwood: Once in August" will be shown on April 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Shaffer Art Building. The screening, sponsored by the women's studies program, is free and open to the public. A discussion will follow.
Other events that are free and open to the public include the following:
More information on Atwood's visit is available on the Web at http://www-hl.syr.edu/cas-pages/WatsonProfessorship.htm, or by calling The College of Arts and Sciences at 443-7192.
