“My soul is in the streets of Buenos Aires”: the Porteño Urban Mythology of Jorge Luis Borges

The Australian National Centre for Latin American Studies presents:

 

“My soul is in the streets of Buenos Aires”: the Porteño Urban Mythology of Jorge Luis Borges

public lecture by

Dr Faye Bendrups

 

2016 is the 30th anniversary of the death of J L Borges, arguably Argentina’s greatest writer and universally acclaimed as one of the most influential literary figures of the 20th century.

This public lecture will celebrate Borges’ passion for popular culture and everyday life; his intimate portraits of Buenos Aires neighbourhood streets, city outskirts, tango, truco, criollo culture and compadritos. Borges was endlessly fascinated with Buenos Aires and conjured up an urban landscape populated with colourful characters; pimps, hooligans and gangsters. He describes adobe walls and knives, gauchos, card games and resentment.

Through a unique personal vernacular and creation of evocative urban mythology, Borges shaped Buenos Aires and Buenos Aires shaped him. Lost in the “voluntary dream called artistic creation”, he understood how he could be both local and universal at the same time.

Faye Bendrups is an academic, composer and performance-maker. She has been a guest lecturer at the University of London, the University of Barcelona, and first Australian recipient of the Paul Sacher Stiftung Award at the University of Basel. She has written over 25 major theatre works including the verbatim operas Sindromtango: una ópera grotesca and Service Station: Straying the Australian Landscape. Her original works have been commissioned by the MTC, QTC, Playbox Theatre, Drama Project Trust, fortyfivedownstairs, and others.

The lecture will be followed by light food and beverages. Free and open to the public, no RSVP required.

 

Date & time

Wed 31 Aug 2016, 12am

Location

Manning Clark Centre Theatre 4

Speakers

Dr Faye Bendrups

Contacts

Claudia Villegas
0261254697

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Updated:  9 August 2016/Responsible Officer:  Centre Director/Page Contact:  CASS Marketing & Communications