Poor Liza and Russia’s Sentimental Marketplace (with Kirill Ospovat)

The talk will investigate links between narrative modes and visions of economy that defined Russian sentimentalism. While in English-language Russianist scholarship social aspects of sentimental fiction have been largely ignored, they occupy a central place both in Soviet-era studies and in contemporary interpretations of English and French sentimentalism. Through a close reading of Karamzin’s classic Poor Liza I will illuminate…

Maria Stepanova: Poetry and Prose

Register here for the Zoom webinar or tune in on YouTube Live. Please join us for an event with poet, essayist, and journalist Maria Stepanova. Moderated by Professor Mark Lipovetsky. This event is part of our Contemporary Culture Series. Maria Stepanova is a poet, essayist, journalist and the author of ten poetry collections and three books of essays. She has received several Russian and international…

Writing Between Tongues: An Exploration of Hebrew and Arabic Calligraphy

In this interactive session and virtual gallery tour, we will dive into the rich visual worlds of Arabic and Hebrew calligraphy. Through historical, spiritual, linguistic and artistic lenses, we will discover the parallels between both languages. Educator, community organizer, and artist Ruben Shimonov will take us on an exploratory journey of his multilingual calligraphy and the ways he has used…

Book Club on Amin Maalouf’s Origins

Join us for a lively Zoom conversation on Origins by Amin Maalouf, translated from the French by Catherine Temerson, FSG. Set during the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first quarter of the twentieth, in the mountains of Lebanon and in Havana, Cuba, Origins recounts the family history of the generation of Maalouf’s paternal grandfather, Boutros. Why did…

LBI Book Club, Vol. VI: The Ground Under My Feet

Born in Vienna in the 1920s, Eva Kollisch was sent as a teenager on a 1938 Kindertransport to England. She then was able to come to the United States, where the family was reunited. The author writes about these experiences, as well as growing up in the world of left-wing politics and culture in New York, finding her way as…

Navalny and the Kremlin: Politics and Protest in Russia

Join us for another virtual meeting of the New York-Russia Public Policy Seminar. This panel is co-hosted by Columbia University’s Harriman Institute and the New York University Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia. Register for the Zoom webinar: http://bit.ly/3cm5Qsh. The event will also be live-streamed on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3prucEK.  The arrest of opposition politician Alexei Navalny has generated a political crisis in Russia. Upon…

Virtual Book Talk: The Memory Theater with Karin Tidbeck & Sara Lefkowitz

Online

On February 16, Swedish author Karin Tidbeck (of Amatka and Jagannath) joins us for a book talk on The Memory Theater, available beginning today from Pantheon Books. With moderator Sara Lefkowitz, she’ll discuss her new novel, a fantastical tour de force about friendship, interdimensional theater, and a magical place where no one ages — except the young.

Who’s Behind Germany’s ‘Querdenker’ Movement?

Online

Deutsches Haus at NYU, NYU's Center for European and Mediterranean Studies and the American Council on Germany present “What’s Behind Germany’s Querdenker Movement?” The intensity and scope of protests against the government measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in Germany has surprised many observers. Self-stylized "lateral thinkers" have forged a coalition that encompasses far-right extremists but also anti-vaxxers who historically have aligned with the left.…

Free

La ragazza nella nebbia

Online

Casa Italiana hosts this book club online on the Zoom platform to discuss contemporary Italian books in Italian. The Club is open to anyone and its purpose is to offer the possibility to practice the Italian language. Everybody is encouraged to speak. The group suggests the books, usually by contemporary Italian authors, that reflect the changes that have taken place with time in…