Think Plutarch’s Lives, Boswell’s Johnson, Holroyd’s Shaw, Herrera’s Frida Kahlo; Augustine’s Confessions, Stein’s Alice B. Toklas, John Cowper Powys’sAutobiography; Casanova’s Memoirs, Karen Blixen’s Out of Africa, Anne Frank’s Diary….and of course much more in what is a very popular reading genre.

Considering the above titles, the University of Otago Centre for the Book is pleased to announce our eighth annual research symposium. The theme for the 2019 Centre for the Book Symposium is “Biography, Autobiography and Memoirs.”  The symposium proper will take place on the University campus all day Friday, November 15^th. Details on the venue to follow.

Relevant topics of the theme might include, but are not limited to:

• The differences among those three terms
• The role of selection in shaping a more coherent narrative
• Transitions among the three forms—memoir becoming autobiography, autobiography informing biography
• The role of ghost writers in these genres
• Scope of coverage for such works
• Ethics of honesty in depicting lives – the truth?
• Personal narratives as part of national or global narratives
• Challenges and successes in publishing these forms
• Reading personal narratives—what do we look for?  What do we allow?  How essential are indexes?
• Motivations for writing a personal story
• Personal stories in non-print formats—oral histories, video, xxx
• Circulation of personal narratives and inclusion of group knowledge within personal stories

As usual, we will begin our symposium with a public lecture on Thursday, November 14th in the Dunningham Room, 4th floor, Dunedin City Library. In this instance, an experienced panel of biographers and memoirists will discuss the genre.

Important notice: The Centre for the Book Symposium will be free to attend, with delegates responsible for providing their own lunch. We do ask that those wishing to attend register on our website, https://forms.gle/p9kxQvGkji8P34mq5, so that we can cater for morning and afternoon tea.

Call for Papers

The theme is an exciting one, and we can imagine a raft of slants and approaches that one can take towards this genre. All of the above topics are of potential interest for the Centre for the Book Symposium, along with others we no doubt have not yet imagined. So, sharpen that pencil, and email a 250-300 word abstract of your ideas to books@otago.ac.nz and set aside the middle week of November for a thought-provoking symposium.

Abstracts must be received by Monday, 2 September 2019, with a final programme announced by mid-September.  If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Donald Kerr (donald.kerr@otago.ac.nz) or Dr. Shef Rogers (shef.rogers@otago.ac.nz).

Opening this Friday , the next Special Collections’ exhibition, “For the Love of Books: Collectors and Collections,” offers a very selective overview of all the types of materials within Special Collections. It highlights the type of books amassed by collectors such as Willi Fels, Esmond de Beer, Charles Brasch, and the Rev. William Arderne Shoults, as well as those discrete collections such as the Scientific Expedition Reports, and the Pulp Fiction Collection.

In essence, the exhibition is a taster. A brief but illuminating glimpse into what makes up Special Collections. And in 2019, on the sesquicentennial (150 years) celebrations of the establishment of the University of Otago, it is fitting to acknowledge the generosity of both past and recent benefactors to Special Collections. Importantly, we encourage use, and it is pleasing to acknowledge that the different collections that form Special Collections are used regularly by students and staff of the University, by national and international scholars, and by individuals from the wider community.

The exhibition runs 8:30-5:00 Monday through Friday, 22 March to 14 June 2019.  Do call in to renew old acquaintances and discover new treasures.

The Centre for the Book is delighted to announce that UBS will be running a second season of the Catch-Up Book Group, once again featuring speakers from the English programme.  First up is Dr. Rochelle Simmons tomorrow evening, 19 March, on Michael Ondaatje’s English Patient.  Six weeks later, on 30 April, Associate Professor Simone Marshall will present Beowulf, and Dr. Paul Tankard will round off the season with the longest book of the year, J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, on 21 May.

All the gatherings are at 6pm for a 6:30 start, winding down at 7:30.  Please come along to reconnect with friends old and new, friends in print and in person.