Brodsky Conference (fwd)

[Leslie J. Dorfman]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Commemorative Conference to Honor Joseph Brodsky (1940 - 1996)

On November 7- 9, 1996, the University of Michigan Department of Slavic
Languages and Literatures will host an international conference to honor the
late Joseph Brodsky (1940 - 1996) in collaboration with the Special Collections
Library, Hatcher Library.

All scheduled events are open to the public.

Joseph Brodsky won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1987, and was later
appointed Poet Laureate of the United States (1991-1992).  He was the only
foreign-born poet to serve in that capacity.

Joseph Brodsky had a long and loyal association with Michigan.  He came
directly to the University of Michigan following his exile from the Soviet
Union in 1972 and served as Poet-in-Residence until 1981.  Widely regarded
as the greatest Russian poet of his generation and one of the outstanding
Russian poets of the twentieth century, he was also remarkable for his
successful transition to English, both in poetry and prose, after settling in
America.

Thursday, November 7 will mark the formal opening of an exhibition of the
extensive collection of Brodsky's published works, manuscripts and other
materials assembled by Irwin T. Holtzman in the Special Collections Library
(seventh floor, Hatcher).

A round-table discussion will take place on Friday, November 8 in the same
room.  Various aspects of Brodsky's life and work will be discussed by a panel
of internationally acclaimed scholars.  The morning session will begin at
10:00 a.m. and the afternoon session at 2:00 p.m.

On Saturday, November 9 the venue shifts to the West Conference Room, fourth
floor, Rackham for a scholarly symposium exploring specific features of
Brodsky's poetry and prose, with sessions from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. and
1:00 - 5:00 p.m.  Participants reading papers will include:

        David Bethea, University of Wisconsin
        Deming Brown, University of Michigan
        Assya Humesky, University of Michigan
        Boris Katz, St. Petersburg
        George Kline, Bryn Mawr College
        Lev Loseff, Dartmouth College
        David MacFadyen, Dalhousie University
        Michael Makin, University of Michigan
        Mikhail Meilakh, St. Petersburg
        Valentina Polukhina, Keele University
        Ronald Vroon, University of California at Los Angeles

THE CONFERENCE CONCLUDES ON SATURDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 9, WITH A POETRY READING
BEGINNING AT 7:00 P.M. IN THE ASSEMBLY HALL, FOURTH FLOOR, RACKHAM BUILDING,
915 E. WASHINGTON, ANN ARBOR.

The public is cordially invited to attend all scheduled events.

For more information contact the Slavic Department at (313) 763-4496.
<http://www.knc.lib.umich.edu/fellows/fall96/brodsky/brodconf.htm>

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1996: Special Collections Library, Seventh Floor,
Hatcher Library

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Formal opening of exhibition

Friday, November 8, 1996: Special Collections Library, Seventh Floor,
Hatcher Library

Round-table Discussion and Exhibition of Brodsky's Published Works and Other
Materials Collected by Irwin T. Holtzman

Moderator:                              Irwin T. Holtzman

10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Opening and tour of exhibition
10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Audio and video tapes of Joseph Brodsky
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon Round-table Discussion
                        "Brodsky: The Life"
        Chair: Benjamin Stolz   Ann-Ellen Akeley        Deming Brown
        Assya Humesky           Mikhail Meilakh         Valentina Polukhina

12 noon - 1:00 p.m.:            Lunch Break

1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.           Round-table Discussion
                                "Brodsky: The Work"
        Chair: I.T.Holtzman     Galina Sokolovskaya     Tom Bigelow
        George Kline

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.:          Round-table Discussion
                                "Brodsky: Criticism"
        Chair: David Bethea     Boris Katz              David MacFadyen
        Lev Loseff              Ronald Vroon

3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.:          Round-table Discussion
                                "Brodsky: Collection and Study"
        Chair: I.T. Holtzman    Alan Pollard            Tom Bigelow
        James Fox

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.:          Galina Sokolovskaya introduces a film of
Joseph Brodsky reading at Russia House

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1996:
Conference Papers: West Conference Room, Fourth Floor, Rackham

Session I:  9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Chair: Rosamund Bartlett

 9:30 a.m. -   9:50 a.m.DAVID BETHEA, University of Wisconsin
                        "Brodsky and Pushkin: Some Epochal Reflections"
 9:50 a.m. - 10:10 a.m. DEMING BROWN, University of Michigan
                        "Brodsky's Essays"
10:10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. EUGENIA GRESTA, University of Michigan
                        "Joseph Brodsky: Language as Tragic Substance"
10:30 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. BORIS KATZ, St. Petersburg Mussorgsky Musical College
                        "Prostaya gamma v poezii Iosifa Brodskogo"

Discussion: 10:50 a.m. - 11:10 a.m.

Lunch Break: 11:10 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Session II: 1:30 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.
Chair: Benjamin Stolz

1:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.   GEORGE KLINE, Bryn Mawr College
                        "Translating Brodsky"
1:20 p.m. - 1:40 p.m.   LEV LOSEFF, Dartmouth College
                        "A Shadow of a Poem: Brodsky's 'Letter to Oasis'"
1:40 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.   DAVID W. MACFADYEN, Dalhousie University
                        "Relativity as a Response to Exile in the Work of
                        Joseph Brodsky"
2:00 p.m. - 2:20 p.m.   MICHAEL MAKIN, University of Michigan
                        "Strangers in a Strange Language: Reflections on
                        Joseph Brodsky and Marina Tsvetaeva"

Coffee Break: 2:50 p.m. - 3:10 p.m.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1996:

Conference Papers: West Conference Room, Fourth Floor, Rackham

Session III: 3:10 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Chair: Assya Humesky

3:10 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.   MIKHAIL MEILAKH, European University, St. Petersburg
                        "An Encyclopedia of Soviet Reality: Brodsky's 'Show'
                         (Predstavlenie)"
3:30 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.   VALENTINA POLUKHINA, Keele University
                        "Brodsky's Prose: A Continuation of Poetry by Other
                        Means"
3:50 p.m. - 4:10 p.m.   RONALD VROON, University of California at Los Angeles
                        "Brodsky and Hopkins: Some Notes on the Metaphysics
                        of Flight"

Discussion: 4:10 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m. Poetry Reading: Assembly Hall, Rackham

        Lev Loseff and others read Brodsky's poetry in Russian and in English.

9:00 p.m. Reception: Assembly Hall, Rackham