Professor Dan Russek will present a brief overview of Jewish life in Mexico and Argentina as seen through four books by Jewish authors: Los gauchos judíos (The Jewish Gauchos of the Pampas, 1910) by Argentine Alberto Gerchunoff, Las genealogías (The Family Tree: An Illustrated Novel, 1981) by Mexican Margo Glantz, El libro de los recuerdos (The Book of Memories, 1984) by Argentine Ana Maria Shua, and Tela de Sevoya (Onioncloth, 2012) by Mexican Myriam Moscona; and move on to an examination of Jewish themes in the work of the most important Latin American writer of the twentieth century, Argentine Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986). Dan will discuss Borges’ attitudes towards Judaism and Israel, and analyze his emblematic texts such as his short stories El milagro secreto, (The Secret Miracle) Deustches Requiem, Emma Zunz, and El Aleph, and poems such as El Golem and Israel. Translations of, and/or link to, these texts are available upon request (email Prof. Dan Russek at drussek@uvic.ca).
Dan Russek, a native of Mexico, is an Associate Professor at the University of Victoria in the Department of Hispanic and Italian Studies. He has taught at UVic since 2004. He earned a B.A. (Philosophy) and an M.A. (Comparative Literature) from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). He completed his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at the University of Chicago, specializing in modern and contemporary Latin American literature and visual arts. His fields of research include the links between literature and the visual arts and media, urban studies and aesthetics.
This event is sponsored by Congregation Emanu-El Synagogue Adult Education Team. For information and the Zoom link contact info@congregationemanu-el.ca.
