Events

The Armenian Society of Columbia University &
The Armenian Center of Columbia University
in association with the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research present a talk by Antonia Arslan
Professor of Modern and Contemporary Italian Literature, University of Padua.
Wednesday,
February 22, 2012
Film Screening: 6:00pm
Talk: 8:00pm
Havemeyer Hall
Room 209
Columbia University
New York, NY

The talk will be preceded by a screening of the film The Lark Farm that was based on her best-selling novel, La masseria delle allodole (Rizzoli, 2004), translated into English as Skylark Farm (Knopf, 2008). The film, staring Paz Vega and Arsinee Khanjian, was adapted by the legendary Italian filmmakers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani in 2007. The film marks one of the few international features to tackle the Armenian genocide head-on. Drawing on the history of her own recent ancestors it tells of the attempts of the members of an Armenian family caught up in the massacres to escape to Italy and join a relation who had been living there for forty years.

Professor Arslan's second novel, La Strada di Smirne, was published in 2009 by Rizzoli. She translated two volumes of Daniel Varujan's poetry into Italian and edited works on the Armenian genocide and on the experiences of Armenian refugees in Italy. Her most recent works include, Ishtar 2. Cronache dal mio risveglio, Il Cortile dei Girasoli Parlanti and Il Libro di Mush.

More information contact: Armen Marsoobian: am3766@columbia.edu or 203 606-9104 or Alexander Bedrosyan: asb2188@columbia.edu or 917 301-5326.