Eminent authors search for the meaning of the South

Friday, 17 November 2017

J.M. Coetzee, Gail Jones and Alexis Wright in conversation with Nicholas Jose

The University of Adelaide will host a free public event, The South, in which four eminent writers will discuss their experience of writing in and from the South. They will talk about what the South is as seen through Southern eyes.

Nobel prize-winning author J.M. Coetzee, Professor of Literature at the University of Adelaide wrote:
“What is left is the real South, the South of this real world, where most of those present in this room were born and most of us will die. It is a unique world — there is only one South — with its unique skies and its unique heavenly constellations. In this South the winds blow in a certain way and the leaves fall in a certain way and the sun beats down in a certain way that is instantly recognisable from one part of the South to another.”

The Chancellor of the University of Adelaide, Rear Admiral Kevin John Scarce AC, CSC, RAN (Rtd), will introduce the event.

“Who we are is inseparable from where we are,” says Rear Admiral Scarce. “How we think about ourselves depends on how we see our place in the world. It’s different for everyone, even when we meet in the same place. We South Australians are especially aware of that, since we are identified with the South, even if we sometimes have to explain to people where the state is on the map.”

J.M. Coetzee has published sixteen works of fiction, as well as criticism and translations. In 2003 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He is Professor of Literature at the University of Adelaide.

Gail Jones’ acclaimed body of work includes two short story collections and the novels Black Mirror, Sixty Lights, Dreams of Speaking, Sorry, Five Bells and A Guide to Berlin. She is Professor in Writing at Western Sydney University.

Alexis Wright is a member of the Waanyi Nation of the Gulf of Carpentaria. She is the author of the award-winning novels Carpentaria and The Swan Book and, most recently, Tracker, launched this month. She is a Distinguished Fellow at Western Sydney University.

Nicholas Jose is the author of seven novels, three collections of short stories, essays, and a memoir. He is Professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Adelaide.

The discussions will be followed by a question and answer session, and book signings.

WHAT:        The University of Adelaide’s Department of English and Creative Writing, in
                   collaboration with University Collections present The South.

WHERE:      Elder Hall, The University of Adelaide, North Terrace campus

WHEN:        6 – 7.30 pm Thursday 23 November 2017

BOOKING:  Eventbrite

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