April 5th

Patrice Nganang

'Preemptive Writing: On Being an African Writer in a Time of Crisis'

Dr. Patrice Nganang teaches Comparative Literature at SUNY-Stonybrook. He is widely regarded as one of the foremost African writers of his generation. He published a collection of poems, Elobi, in 1995, and is the author of several novels: La promesse des fleurs, Temps de chien, La joie de vivre, L'invention du beau regard, among others.

His most acclaimed novel, Temps de Chien, was awarded the Prix Marguerite Yourcenar (for Francophone writers living in the USA) in 2001 and the Grand Prix Littéraire de l'Afrique Noire (leading literary award for African Francophone writers) in 2002. This novel released in English under the title Dog Days in 2006 by the University of Virginia Press).

4th of APRIL 2008

Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas) (2006)

When war breaks out in the lull of summer 1914, it surprises and pulls millions of men in its wake. Christmas arrives, with its snow and multitude of family and army presents. But the surprise won't come from inside the generous parcels which lie in the French, Scottish, and German trenches. That night, a momentous event will turn the destinies of four characters : an Anglican priest, a French lieutenant, an exceptional German tenor and the one he loves, a soprano and singing partner. During this Christmas Eve, the unthinkable happens : soldiers come out of their trenches, leaving their rifles behind to shake hands with the enemy.

5th of APRIL 2008

The Lives of Others (2007)

East Berlin, November 1984. Five years before its downfall, the former East-German government ensured its claim to power with a ruthless system of control and surveillance. Party-loyalist Captain Gerd Wiesler hopes to boost his career when given the job of collecting evidence against the playwright Georg Dreyman and his girlfriend, the celebrated theater actress Christa-Maria Sieland. After all, the "operation" is backed by the highest political circles. What he didn't anticipate, however, was that submerging oneself into the world of the target also changes the surveillance agent. The immersion in the lives of others--in love, literature, free thinking and speech--makes Wiesler acutely aware of the meagerness of his own existence and opens to him a completely new way of life which he has ever more trouble resisting. But the system, once started, cannot be stopped. A dangerous game has begun.

Shippensburg University Fashion Archives and Museum’s
Spring 2008 Exhibit
Garibaldis, Engageantes & Cages: American Fashions of the Civil War Era 1840-1870

This exhibit will be open for the 2nd Biennial Modern Languages Conference,
Saturday, April 5 from 2 - 4 PM

The curator, Dr. Karin Bohleke, will be available to answer questions.
Hours: Monday-Thursday, noon - 4 PM and by appointment
Harley Hall, Lower Level

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