The voice of an artist reaches and touches the world as well as the lives of his/ her readers. The words of writers can stir social unrest but they can also pacify the crowds. Literary works are instrumental in preserving national identities, and Poland's troubled history during the Partitions can serve as the epitome of the authority of literature. Writers, however, are equally revered as they are persecuted for the statements they dare to utter.

In his works, Hanif Kureishi stresses the challenges as well as responsibilities of writers, whose work is never entirely their own once it is given to the world. Stories traverse boundaries, carry their readers beyond the limits of their realities; even when censored, forbidden, and sometimes destroyed, they reappear in other countries at other times.

The 10th Literature in English Symposium (13th April 2014) will celebrate the powers of imagination and friendship across borders, across languages, across time.

We particularly welcome papers about the works of Hanif Kureishi, our main guest and speaker, but also connected with the migration of motifs related to the wider theme of the conference: Imagination, inspiration and the power of words; Writing, story-telling and the idea of crossing borders; The (re)creation of political/social reality in literary texts; Literary friendships and alliances.

The deadline for abstract submissions is February 15th 2014. Please send your proposals and a short bio to both:

Conference Organiser
Professor Liliana Sikorska(sliliana@wa.amu.edu.pl)
Head of Department of English Literature and Literary Linguistics, Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
&
Conference Secretary
dr Katarzyna Bronk (kbronk@wa.amu.edu.pl)
Department of English Literature and Literary Linguistics, Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland

More info at: http://wa.amu.edu.pl/lies/