On 11th December, the lectureship of Romanian language and culture at Helsinki University will host an open seminar of Romanian literature and culture at 2.15 pm (1.15 in Poland). The guest will be the Romanian Armenian writer Varujan Vosganian – the author of the internationally acclaimed novel The Book of Whispers (Cartea șoaptelor) (2009), and translated into over 20 languages, including Polish (Księga szeptów, transl. by Joanna Kornaś-Warwas). The book has received numerous awards and was highly appreciated for its documentary value and sensitive authenticity.
Varujan Vosganian is the grandchild of a family of Armenians who survived the massacre during the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of last century, and who settled in a village in Romania. The book is an expression of human suffering faced with authoritarian oppression, but also of remembering, and hope brought by the healing process of storytelling. The history of Romania, blended with the history of Armenians is woven in a majestic literary style, giving voice to the unvoiced. The seminar will be held online, and will be a discussion with the author on the margins novel The Book of Whispers. The event will also benefit from the participation of students and specialists from the Department of Romanian Studies at ‘Adam Mickiewicz’ University in Poznan, Poland. All interested students and scholars are warmly welcome to attend. The meeting will be held in English.
Zoom link: https://helsinki.zoom.us/j/65924309439?pwd=dk9TRFdFYm01OTVxL2h6KytjYmt4QT09
Meeting ID: 659 2430 9439
Passcode: 855262