Media Relations
Press Release:
MEDIA CONTACT: Terry Gearing
561-799-8026,
gearing@fau.edu
FAU’s Wilkes Honors College
Symposium PresentsNgũgĩ wa Thiong'o
Author, Activist, Prisoner of
Conscience to Speak on ‘The Education of a
Writer’
JUPITER, FL (April 1, 2011) –
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, distinguished professor of English and
comparative literature at the University of California, Irvine,
will speak at FAU Jupiter on Friday April 15, at 1 p.m. in the
Administration (AD) Auditorium. Born and raised in Kenya,
Ngũgĩ is a novelist, essayist, playwright, journalist,
editor, academic and social activist.
While living in Kenya, Ngũgĩ survived the Mau Mau War of
Independence (1952-1962), which was a central historical episode in
the making of modern Kenya and was a major theme in his early
works. In 1977, he published Petals of Blood, which portrayed a
harsh and unsparing picture of life in neo-colonial Kenya. Due to
the controversial and critical nature of these works, he was
arrested and imprisoned without charge at Kamiti Maciu Security
Prison. Amnesty International named him a Prisoner of Conscience,
and after an international campaign, he was released a year later.
Ngũgĩ provided a detailed account of his experiences in
Detained: A Writer’s Prison Diary.
Ngũgĩ has received eight honorary doctorates and numerous
prizes in literature, including the Nonino International Prize. His
name is often at the top of the list to win the Nobel Prize in
Literature. Ngũgĩ has published more than 25 books,
including the Njamba Nene series for children, and edits the
Gĩkũyũ language journal, Mũtiiri.
Ngũgĩ’s presentation, part of the Robert Lee and
Thomas M. Chastain Symposium Lecture Series, is held in conjunction
with the Wilkes Honors College’s 9th Annual Symposium for
Research and Creative Projects. The symposium will include student
presentations from 9 – 11:30 a.m. in the Honors College (HC)
and AD Buildings. Poster sessions and an art show will also
be held in the HC Building from 2 – 4 p.m.
The symposium and lecture are free and open to the public.
For reservations, call 561-799-8646 or email
hcadmissions@fau.edu.
-FAU-
The Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, located on FAU’s John D. MacArthur Campus, is a four-year residential liberal arts & science college for high achieving undergraduates.
About Florida Atlantic
University:
Florida Atlantic University,
established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the
fifth public university in Florida. In commemoration of the
University’s establishment, FAU is celebrating its 50th
anniversary throughout 2011. Today, the University serves more
than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses
and sites. Building on its rich tradition as a teaching
university, with a world-class faculty, FAU hosts 10 colleges:
the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters, the College
of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the
College of Education, the College of Engineering &
Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes
Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the
Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt
College of Science. For more information, visit
www.fau.edu
.
