Libyan novelist Ibrahim Al-Koni to speak at UNE May 2nd
The ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Departments of Political Science, English and Language Studies, ARTs@³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ and the College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Office present Libyan novelist Ibrahim Al-Koni on May 2, 2011.
The lecture takes place at the Ketchum Library St. Francis Room at 12:00 noon on ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's Biddeford Campus.
Ibrahim Al-Koni is one of the most distinguished and prolific Arab novelists today. He was born in 1948 in the south Libyan Desert near Gadames. He spent his childhood in the desert and learned to read and write Arabic when he was 12 years old.
After a brief career as a journalist, he studied philosophy and literature at the renowned Maxim Gorky Institute in Moscow. In 1974, while still a student, Al-Koni published his first literary work, a book of stories. He worked at the Libyan Cultural Institute in Moscow and as a journalist and editor at a cultural magazine in Warsaw before moving to Switzerland in 1993, where he has lived ever since.
By 2007, Al-Koni had published more than 80 books and received numerous awards. All written in Arabic, his books have been translated into 35 languages. His novel "Gold Dust" appeared in English in 2008.
Copies of "Bleeding of the Stone" and "Gold Dust" will be available for sale and can be signed by Ibrahim Al-Koni.
This event is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided. For more information, contact Dr. Ali Abdullatif Ahmida at 602-2804 or aahmida@une.edu.