Feb

18 2020

Language, Longing, and Belonging

4:30PM - 6:30PM  

Trinity College 300 Summit Street
Language and Culture Studies - Seabury 106
Hartford, CT 06106
860-297-5121 lidija.petrus@trincoll.edu
https://www.trincoll.edu

Contact Lidija Petrus
860-297-5121
lidija.petrus@trincoll.edu
https://www.trincoll.edu

A talk by award-winning Israeli author Ayelet Tsabari, following the publication of her memoir, The Art of Leaving. The talk is part of the Distinguished Scholar lecture by the Department of Language and Culture Studies at Trinity College.

In The Art of Leaving, Tsabari tells her story, from her early love of writing and words, to her rebellion during her mandatory service in the Israeli army. She travels from Israel to New York, Canada, Thailand, and India, falling in and out of love with countries, men and women, drugs and alcohol, running away from responsibilities and refusing to settle in one place. She recounts her first marriage, her struggle to define herself as a writer in a new language, her decision to become a mother, and finally her rediscovery and embrace of her family history--a history marked by generations of headstrong women who struggled to choose between their hearts and their homes. Eventually, she realizes that she must reconcile the memories of her father and the sadness of her past if she is ever going to come to terms with herself.
Ayelet Tsabari was born in Israel to a large family of Yemeni descent. After serving in the Israeli army, she traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia and North America, and now lives in Tel Aviv. She teaches creative writing at the University of King's College's MFA Program in Creative Nonfiction and at Tel Aviv University. Tsabari's first book, The Best Place on Earth, won the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature and the Edward Lewis Wallant Award for Jewish Fiction, and was nominated for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award. It was also a New York Times Editors' Choice pick and included in Kirkus Reviews' Best Debut Fiction of 2016. Essays from this book have also won several awards, including a National Magazine Award. In addition to writing, Tsabari has worked as a photographer and a journalist.

 

Tuesday, February 18, 2020 – 4:30pm

Trinity College
Mather Hall
Wean Terrace Rooms ABC
300 Summit Street, Hartford, CT

The event is free and open to the public.

Sponsor: Trinity College