Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Farah, the 1998 winner of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, gave two presentations and answered questions from the audience about his most recent novel, “Knots,” which the entire freshman class was required to read over the summer. Students then participated in small discussion groups with Georgetown University professors. Introduced by University President John J. DeGioia as “one of the finest contemporary novelists,” Farah spoke about his inspiration for writing, background and writing techniques.
Farah was born in Baidoa, Somalia at a time of internal strife, high illiteracy rates and inequality in the fractured country. In his speech, he said he grew up reading books by foreign authors because Somali, while a spoken language, has no written counterpart, so he “wanted to write a story in which Somali children would find themselves; it would not be alien to them.” Farah said in an interview that he writes so extensively about women’s liberation because he believes man cannot be truly liberated until his partner is equally liberated.
Farah lived in exile for 22 years after the Somali government threatened him with imprisonment for his writings. He returned only when there was no organized government in place to arrest him.
Farah said in an interview that each reader should draw their own conclusions from his novels. He said that each person reads “Knots” with preconceived ideas based on other books they have read, enabling them to look at the book through a different lens. His ultimate goal, though, in writing about Somalia, is so “people don’t forget” about Somalia.
Farah’s visit was funded by the family of Frederick Marino (SLL ’68).
Source: The Hoya, Sept 18, 2007