Books That Will Save Your Life 2017

Of all the books that you have read, which one meant the most to you? Which books has had the most unforgettable and undeniable influence on your life so far? Which book would you recommend instantly to anyone? In our fourth Books That Will Save Your Life event, four different speakers will present their answers to these questions.

During the evening, our four speakers will talk about the books that have made an impact on their lives. These books will be available at Athenaeum afterwards, if you are interested in buying one for yourself. After all, these books might change your life!

At the end of this exciting evening we'll have some drinks in café/filmtheater Kriterion, which is right next to Athenaeum. This is the perfect chance to discuss the event with a glass of fine wine, or to talk about your own life-changing book! So don't forget to bring your own special book as well.

Are you as excited as we are? Then wait no longer and sign up for the event through the following link. Only 100 spots available!

Speakers

Nicholas Carr onRobert Musil, The Man Without Qualities

Our first speaker of the night is originally from Australia, where he studied a wide range of subjects. He completed undergraduate studies in literature, law and politics at the University of Queensland. He then moved to Cambridge in England, where he completed an MPhil and a PhD in 2013. Since his graduation, he has taught at a number of universities in Brisbane. Parallel to his career as a professor, he has also worked as a lawyer and policy advisor for the government. Imagine doing all of that on the side!

We are now lucky enough to have him right here with us in Amsterdam, where he teaches a course on literature and Philosophy of Science at the UvA. His main literary interest is in the transition from romanticism to modernism in historical narrative. He was by far the quickest to respond to the e-mail we sent him and is here with us today to speak about his favourite book: The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil. Give him a hand: Doctor Nicholas Carr!

Tom van Veenendaal on John Ruskin, Fors Clavigera

The second speaker of the night will be student Tom van Veenendaal. He is currently in his second year of English Language and Culture at the University of Amsterdam. Besides the books he has to read for his classes, his main scholarly literary interests are the texts written by William Hazlitt. This essayist was very celebrated in the 19^th Century for his critical essays, but sadly his work is nowadays pretty much only read by Tom. Tom’s interest in literature doesn’t stop here though, for he is in the board of Writer’s Block, a magazine for literature, film and creative writing, that’s created by students. He not only is very literal, he also likes to get out of his booky shell from time to time and is therefore a member of the Student Theater Association. This night he will try to persuade you into reading the Book that saved his Life; Fors Clavigera by John Ruskin!

Sarah Welling on Jean Rhys, Good Morning, Midnight

Our next speaker is Sarah Welling. She will speak on behalf of the alumni of the English Department. What she liked most about studying English Language and Culture was being involved with literature and close reading, especially.

Besides having worked as a bookseller and a teacher in the past, she now earns her living as a web editor and a literary translator. According to her what is great about translating books is that you get to do an extreme form of close reading with a bit of creativity thrown in.

Sarah will now tell us why the book that saved her life is Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys. 

Olga Fischer on Marilynn Robinson, Housekeeping

Our last speaker of this evening is someone who actually needs no introduction. Most of us will probably know her as a former teacher at the UvA but she has done so many things that we can ask ourselves, what hasn’t she done? It’s too much to mention. From teacher in History of English and Language change and variation to lecturer in historical linguistics. From being a member of various editorial boards of international universities to supervisor of many PhD projects. She is president of the international society for the linguistics of English and she has published extensively in international journals and books in the area of English historical linguistics, especially in historical syntax. And other than that she has done a lot of other research. Last October we celebrated her retirement from the UvA, but fortunately she’s still very much around and we are very delighted to have her here tonight and hear all about her life changing book, please welcome Olga Fischer!