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Seminar
Shrine of Saint Arsenius
The Durrell School of Corfu opens each annual session with a
symposium that examines themes of importance to the Durrells
and to our world. The first symposium in 2002 took
"Understanding Misunderstanding" as its central theme and it
included distinguished leaders in politics, economics, the arts
and environmental studies among its participants.
Keynote speakers and Moderators have included: Gayatry Chakravorty Spivak,
Lee Durrell from the Durrell World Wildlife Trust, internationally acclaimed
ecologist and botanist David Bellamy, Harish Trivedi, Terry Eegleton, and
Aaron Jaffe.
Previous participants have included: John Brandon of the Asia
Foundation; Elemer Hankiss, dean of the Hungarian Academy of
Sciences; Marwan Bishara from the American Univerisity of Paris;
and the environmentalist David Bellamy.
The Venetian Winged Lion
CORFU IS BEAUTIFUL, AFFORDABLE AND SAFE!!
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CALL FOR SEMINAR PAPERS
TRAVEL WRITING, SPIRIT OF PLACE, & DISCOVERY OF SELF
1-6 June 2008
Access the CFP Poster in .pdf here
The Durrell School of Corfu calls for seminar papers on the subject of travel writing.
Participants will have the chance not only to deliver a critical paper but also to become
involved as readers and writers in a creative-writing seminar hosted by the award-winning
writer Jan Morris, OBE, and Dr. Mark Morris.
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Different types of fine travel writing will be discussed: fiction, non-fiction, essays and articles, poetry, and travel journalism. The seminar sessions will generally take place each morning from 9.00- 12.00 am, and the creative writers' presentations and feedback sessions from 6.00-8.00 pm. The rest of the day will be free for participating writers and speakers to explore the town and to find inspiration in the aspects that most interest them.
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Rue de Rivoli, Corfu
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Potential topics might include (but are not limited to):
- Travel Writing and 'Foreign Residence' Writing: the achievement of Lawrence Durrell.
- The works of Jan Morris: a discussion of the nature of her writing and of travel writing
- discuss the responsibility, irresponsibility, and changing status of the travel writer
- Expatriate Travel Writing and the Postcolonial Perspective
- Travel and 'the discovery of self': the unspoiled and the myth of the 'authentic'
- The travel writing of such authors as Bruce Chatwin, Paul Theroux, Bill Bryson, Freya Stark, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Henry Miller, Nikos Kazantzakis, Jack Kerouac, Nicholas Shakespeare, V.S. Naipaul, D.H. Lawrence, Eric Newby, Evelyn Waugh, Karen Blixen, Lord Byron, Norman Douglas, and so forth.
- Transformations of the travel writing genre: aesthetics and politics
Or, in creative pursuits
- Writing landscape
- Guide Books and Travellers' Companions: writing responsibly for the serious reader
- Travel Journalism, good and bad; ethical issues in travel journalism
- The writer as painter
- Travel writing as meditation or introspection
- Travel writing: Fiction or Non-Fiction?
The week-long seminar will take place in Corfu town, with excursions to other sites of interest, and take as its inspiration the work of Gerald and Lawrence Durrell, just two of the famous writers who have immortalized the beautiful landscape and culture of the Ionian Islands. The cost of the seminar (excluding travel & accommodation and most meals) is 300 Euro.
The seminar sessions will take place each morning from 9.00- 12.00 am, and the creative writers' presentations and feedback sessions from 6.00-8.00 pm. The rest of the day will be free for participating writers and speakers to explore the town and to find inspiration in the aspects that most interest them.
Greece, Corfu, and the other Ionian Islands have always been favourite destinations and subjects for travel writers and 'writers of foreign residence,' as well as for novelists and poets interested in the 'Deus Loci' and 'spirit of place.' Lawrence and Gerald Durrell are the most famous travel writers associated with Corfu, but the island has a long history and continues to inspire writers of all types. Corfu's Old Town has recently been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List, and Corfu's praises have been sung by Homer (Scheria is traditionally identified with Corfu), by Walter Waller Wright, Edward Lear, James Chatto, Mary Stewart, Emma Tennant, and many others. The Ionian Islands more generally have provided the 'landscape of the imagination' and settings for books by writers like Louis de Bernieres...
Disclaimer and Release of All Liability
When registering please copy, sign and return a copy of the text below. This will be included in registration materials and
correspondence with participants. The DSC recommends participants have appropriate travel insurance for the EU:
'For and in consideration of being allowed to participate in the Durrell School of Corfu Seminar, "An Investigation of Modern
Love" and associated optional excursions, I agree to release and hold harmless the Durrell School of Corfu, its staff, its Board
of Directors and the seminar organizers from any and all liability which might be incurred by them during these activities. I have
taken steps to ensure that my physical condition allows me to participate. I assume all responsibilities for myself, and I am
participating at my own risk. I have taken out appropriate medical insurance which includes repatriation cover and (if a national
of a member state of the EU) I have obtained my EU Health Card.'
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