Joseph Conrad (1857 - 1924), the Polish-born British writer of such key works of modernist fiction as Heart of Darkness, Nostromo, and Under Western Eyes, remains an iconic figure influencing a range of contemporary artistic, literary political, and philosophical trends. The conference "Conradian Crosscurrents: Creativity and Critique" seeks to reassess Conrad's position at the cross-currents of contemporary creative and critical work of all kinds. The conference coincides with the celebration of the 160th anniversary of the year of his birth as Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in 1857, an anniversary recognized by the Parliament of the Republic of Poland which has declared 2017 the Year of Conrad.
Organized by the Joseph Conrad Society of America, “Conradian Crosscurrents: Creativity and Critique” will take place in New York City from June 1 - 3, 2017. Parts of the conference will be held at Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus, sponsored by Fordham University's Comparative Literature Program, English Department, and the Offices of the Dean of Faculty and Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Parts of the conference will be hosted by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York and the Kościuszko Foundation.
Featured speakers include philosopher Adriana Cavarero (Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Verona), author of Relating Narratives (2000), For More than One Voice (2005), and Horrorism: Naming Contemporary Violence (2008); and novelist Margaret Cezair-Thompson (Wellesley College), author of The True History of Paradise (1999) and The Pirate's Daughter (2007).
Registration Information
The conference participant fee is $120 (with a reduced rate of $95 for part-time faculty, graduate students, and retirees). All conference participants should be members of the Joseph Conrad Society of America (yearly membership is $25 for individuals, $15 for students, in the USA and Canada; for other membership fees see here).
The guest registration fee is $40 per day. To register, email Chris GoGwilt (at newyorkconradconference@gmail.com) and Mark Larabee (mdlarabee@gmail.com).
All payments should made out to the Joseph Conrad Society of America and sent to the JCSA Treasurer, Mark Larabee. To pay via PayPal please contact him at mdlarabee@gmail.com. To pay by check, please send him a check (made out to “The Joseph Conrad Society of America”) at P.O. Box 1052, Silverdale, WA 98383.
PROGRAM OUTLINE (subject to change)
Thursday, June 1
afternoon: Fordham University, 12th Floor, Lincoln Center (113 W. 60th Street)
1:00 - 2:45 opening plenary session: Nostromo's crosscurrents
3:30 - 4:30 opening keynote lecture:
Adriana Cavarero, "Soundscapes of Darkness"
evening: Consulate General of the Republic of Poland, 233 Madison Ave. (Jan Karski Corner)
7:00 - 8:00 pm: Polish scholarship on Conrad
8:00 - 10:00 pm: reception
Friday, June 2
Location: Kościuszko Foundation (15 East 65th Street, NY)
morning sessions
9:00 - 10:30: media crosscurrents
11:00 - 12:30: narrative crosscurrents
afternoon sessions
2:00 - 3:30: intertextual crosscurrents (1)
4:00- 5:30: intertextual crosscurrents (2)
6:30 pm visit to the Berg Collection, NYPL (5th Avenue at 42nd Street)
Saturday, June 3
Location: 12th Floor, Fordham University, Lincoln Center (113 W. 60th Street)
morning sessions
9:00 - 10:30: communities
11:00 - 12:30: crossing the color line
afternoon sessions
2:00 - 3:30: reading across the sciences
3:45: J. Hillis Miller, Ian P. Watt prize-winner for 2015, pre-recorded address
4:30 - 6:00: concluding keynote:
Margaret Cezair-Thompson, "The Blank Spaces in Conrad's Heart of Darkness"
Conradian Crosscurrents: Creativity and Critique
June 1 - 3, 2017 New York City Fordham University (Lincoln Center) The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York The Kościuszko Foundation
