Italian Professor, Alumna to Speak at Library of Congress

August 23, 2016—Georgetown College Italian professor Laura Benedetti, along with Washington Post reporter Emily Langer, will speak at the Library of Congress on September 1. 

The event will feature a conversation between Benedetti and Langer that focuses on Benedetti’s novel Un paese di carta (Pisa: Pacini, 2015). The book spans two countries (the United States and Italy), three generations (mother, daughter, and granddaughter) and more than half a century, from World War II to the present day. It tackles issues of cultural identity, family ties, and displacement and loss as it follows a young woman in her journey to Italy to fulfill her grandmother’s last wish.

“I am delighted to have this opportunity to discuss my novel at the Library of Congress, and I am particularly looking forward to this conversation with Emily as part of an ongoing exchange of ideas that started on her very first day of class at Georgetown—which also happened to be my first day of teaching at Georgetown,” said Benedetti. 

Langer (C’06), a former Italian major, was a Fulbright fellow in Trieste, Italy, from 2010 to 2011. During her time at Georgetown she worked as a research assistant for Benedetti and spent her junior year studying abroad in Florence. 

This event is a collaborative effort between The Library of Congress European Division & Italian Language Table and the Embassy of Italy & the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington. 

Event Details
“A conversation about the novel Un paese di carta”
Thursday, September 1, 3:30 p.m.
James Madison Memorial Building,
101 Independence Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20540 
Mary Pickford Theater, Room LM-302, 3rd Floor
Admission: Free

For more information, contact Lucia Wolf: lwolf@loc.gov, 202-707-2256.