To conventional town of South Bend Indiana, a small slice of a rich culture is coming from across the ocean.
IU South Bend, in an event organized by professor of English and French Ann Magnan-Park, is hosting author Nicolas Kurtovitch for a bilingual cultural occasion. Kurtovitch is a native of New Caledonia. New Caledonia is a francophone country "located in the southwest Pacific Ocean". (The country also has a tropical climate contrasting it with Indiana's severe winters!)
Kurtovitch is a prolific author is has published numerous works of poetry, drama and prose. The style of his work is prosaically described in his biography page (translated):
"In a language hitched to shed the trappings of appearances, his writing is at once act of existence and resistance, through which cross themes of rootedness and exile: a rooting lived, an exile full accepted".
Below is a translated excerpt from his poem "En ce mois de septrembre":
"So in what companies around the world and
to what destinations every step propels
my soul in anguish to hear trailer
the song of this unloved body deaf
because we must reach somewhere
serenity may otherwise what shall I say
When the time comes to talk to these little lives
confident Yes so confident and abandoned"
His newest work, is, according to the official blurb for the event, "a hybrid essay blending poetry, travel writing, and mythology" that will appeal to a diverse audience.
This event will not involve a dry reading by an author who talent is with her pen, not her voice! Kurtovitch's wife Nicole, who is so multifaceted that she is, according to the event's blurb, a teacher, photographer, and actress will be reading excerpts from her husband's work. Ms. Kurtovitch will be reading excerpst from her husband's work in French (French is a beautiful language to listen too, even if the listener has no comprehension of the language). If there are concerns about discerning the fascinating content of Autour Uluru , let them be abated! Students of French will be dully reading translations of the work in English.
Furthermore, as an added gratuity, a couple French IUSB Students will be presenting a SLAM in French.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held on October 25 at 5:30 pm on the Third Floor bridge of Wikekamp Hall.
