Purdue News
Purdue News
|
|
April 16, 2004 48-hour marathon reading brings 'Don Quixote' to Purdue campusWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – About 200 people at Purdue University are testing their literary endurance as they read "Don Quixote" in the country's first 48-hour reading marathon in English and Spanish in anticipation of the book's 400th anniversary.
"A Quixotic Reading/Una Lectura Quijotesca" begins at 2:30 p.m. Thursday (4/22) and will end sometime Saturday (4/24) afternoon. The Spanish and English readings will take place in the East and West Faculty Lounges at the Purdue Memorial Union. A public lecture also will precede the marathon reading on Wednesday (4/21). "Don Quixote's adventures have captivated readers around the world for almost 400 years," says Howard Mancing, professor of Spanish and author of "The Cervantes Encyclopedia." "We wanted to pay tribute to this character, the crazy, yet romantic and chivalrous knight, who has entertained millions in the book that is acknowledged as the world's first novel." "Don Quixote," which was published in 1605 by Miguel de Cervantes, has the aged hero Don Quixote believing he is a young knight who is obliged to defend the weak from evil and preserve the knight's code of honor in Spain. Part two of Don Quixote was published in 1615. Mancing and four graduate students are organizing this reading with support from the Office of the Provost, the School of Liberal Arts Dean's Office, the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, the program of comparative literature and Indiana Humanities Council. "April 23 is the anniversary of Cervantes' death," Mancing says. "In Spain, this day is known as the 'Día del libro,' Day of the Book, and is often celebrated with a variety of literary activities, such as marathon readings–in Spanish, of course – of the 126-chapter book. 2005 will be a year of celebration in Spain and throughout the Hispanic world. We wanted Purdue to be the first, and one of the largest, celebrations honoring this great work of literature." Readers include Purdue's president, provost, deans, faculty, students and community members, as well as Cervantes scholars. The text for the English reading will be the 2003 translation by Edith Grossman, the first woman to translate the novel into English. Even though graduate student Silvina Meza grew up reading children's stories about the delusional knight who battled windmills, she did not read the entire novel until graduate school. "The idea of a marathon reading is a great way for us to help others fall in love with this character and his adventures," says Meza, a doctoral student in Spanish literature from Resistencia, Argentina. "It's also an opportunity to show the public how the same story can be shared between two cultures." Refreshments will be provided during the readings, and books by Miguel de Cervantes will be for sale by Von's Book Shop. A live Webcast of the readings can be accessed. There also will be a public lecture, "Don Quixote's Global Engagement: The Quixotics of Empire," at 4 p.m. Wednesday (4/21) in Krannert Auditorium by Diana de Armas Wilson, professor emerita of English and Renaissance studies at the University of Denver. Writer: Amy Patterson-Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu Sources: Howard Mancing, (765) 496-1683, mancing@purdue.edu Silvina Meza, (765) 496-4042, mezams@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Note to Journalists: Media interested in schedules for specific readers can contact Amy Patterson-Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu. PHOTO CAPTION: A publication-quality photograph is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2004/mancing-cervantes.jpg
|
