Lecture on Latin American History, Culture and Literature

A lecture on Latin American History, Culture and Literature will be held on Thursday March 17 at 5.30 p.m. at the ICES Auditorium by Madeleine Whitman. This lecture will focus mainly on the Boom and Post-Boom literary genres, the new narrative style and will touch on the use of 'Magical Realism'. This will include the interface which exists between art and society and examine how Latin American literature addresses matters of politics and both national and personal identity.

Madeleine Wightman

The age of discovery and conquest is one of the most fascinating periods in all of the history of Latin America. The subsequent conquest of the Americas was an extremely important cultural encounter in history, causing a sequence of events that rocked the Old World and strongly influenced the New.

Many parts of the Americas are still populated by indigenous Americans; some countries have sizable populations, such as Bolivia, Peru, Mexico,Guatemala, Colombia, and Ecuador.

At least a thousand different indigenous languages are spoken in the Americas. Some indigenous peoples still live in relative isolation from Western society, and a few are still counted as uncontacted peoples.

However, it is from the blend of European and indigenous cultures, which Latin America is well known for that the rich literary tradition has developed.

The culture and literature of Latin America may be of particular interest to Sri Lankan readers as there are quite a few parallels between Sri Lanka and many Latin American countries.

"Madeleine Wightman has a Master's Degree in French and Hispanic Studies from Aberdeen University in Scotland.

Her thesis was "Politics and Popular Culture in Modern Latin American Fiction". Having returned from a study period in Mexico, and whilst studying for the Masters, she tutored undergraduate students in Spanish language in the analysis of Literature and Film.

Madeleine also writes for the Guardian (UK) and has a regular column in the Sunday Observer (Montage) section on literature and film.

She has extensively covered Boom and Post-Boom genres (in the Latin American context) and explored the literary and cinematic techniques associated with specific Latin American novels and films.

She continues to have a keen interest in literature from around the world and the cultures and languages conveyed within these novels and films".