Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah uses the 2022 Edward W Said London Lecture to address the significance of place in the thought and self-definition of the displaced self.
Gurnah refers to critical and fictional contemporary writing from Europe, Africa and the Caribbean, including that of Edward Said, Eric Auerbach and Joseph Conrad.
His lecture reflects on the effects of displacement, on the ongoing attachment to place and the creative impulse that it generates, and the obligation it entails.
For some writers of fiction, the absent place has provided a rich dynamic to their work. This talk explores its implications and responsibilities.
Abdulrazak Gurnah is the author of ten novels, including Paradise (shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Whitbread Award), By the Sea (longlisted for the Booker Prize and shortlisted for the Los Angeles Times Book Award) and Desertion (shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize). The winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature, he lives in Canterbury.
The annual Edward W Said London Lecture series is supported by The Mosaic Rooms/AM Qattan Foundation and the London Review of Books
More Lambeth Listings MORE
Suzie Larke: Unseen
Logic-defying work by photographer Suzie Larke, who returns to our site with new images raising awareness and sparking…
Coriolanus
Unrivalled in the art of war, undefeated on the field of battle, Coriolanus is Rome’s greatest soldier. …
Diane Abbott: A Woman Like Me
Diane Abbott, who made history as Britain’s first Black woman MP, talks to Afua Hirsch about her new…
Qudus Onikeku’s Re:INCARNATION
Nigeria’s celebrated QDance Company explodes onto the stage with this exuberant performance, paying homage to the wealth and…
Premier Gospel Awards 2024
Experience the joy gospel brings at an unforgettable evening of celebration featuring the biggest names from the UK,…
Island Movements Ballet Performance
Island Movements is a short ballet that tells the epic story of Windrush and explores the impact of…
Black Business In Brixton: The History and the Future
Join a panel of Black business owners and managers to discuss the past, present and future of Brixton’s…
Brixton Poets Celebrate Benjamin Zephaniah
Benjamin Zephaniah started writing poetry at a young age, adding many more skills to his sharp wit and…