Purchase College Hosts Acclaimed Author Aminatta Forna

The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place in the Neuberger Museum Study at Purchase College (735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY).

Aminatta Forna is the award-winning author of the novels The Hired Man, The Memory of Love, and Ancestor Stones, and a memoir, The Devil that Danced on the Water. As an essayist, journalist and broadcaster, she has written for Granta, The Guardian, Vogue, and BBC radio and television. Forna was born in Scotland, raised in Sierra Leone and Britain, and spent periods of her childhood in Iran, Thailand and Zambia.

“We are very fortunate to have Aminatta Forna join us as a Durst Distinguished Lecturer,” says Louise Yelin, professor of literature at Purchase. “Forna’s work vividly bears witness to the legacies of civil war and violence and reminds us that truth-telling isn’t the exclusive province of journalism but animates literature as well.”

Anthony Domestico, assistant professor of literature at Purchase College, comments: “Aminatta Forna is a writer of real moral seriousness. Her novels address political and philosophical questions of the greatest consequence: how can we remember trauma without letting it determine our lives? What is the relationship between forgiveness and justice?” He adds, “Forna is a lovely stylist and a compelling storyteller, and our students are excited for her visit.”

For more information on the event, please visit: https://news.purchase.edu/apr-13-durst-distinguished-lecture-aminatta-forna/ or call 914.251.6550.

The Roy and Shirley Durst Distinguished Chair in Literature Endowment was established in 2000 by the late Shirley Durst to infuse the experience and intellect of leading writers into the Purchase community, while providing diverse opportunities for these writers to interact with students and influence campus life. This generous gift supports both the Royal and Shirley Durst Chair in Literature, awarded to notable intellectuals whose work bridges literature and the visual or performing arts, and the Durst Distinguished Lecture Series. This contribution has greatly benefited Purchase College's School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Humanities, and Literature program.