Monday, June 9, 2025
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. CEST
Location: Villa Malta (Rome) La Sala
Politics in the West are increasingly dominated by hatred, anger, and division. What insights can writers hailing from the Global South–who have long grappled with legacies of racism, colonialism, and political repression–bring to the current crisis of Western democracies? Is there more room than is usually recognized for us to explore themes of love, reconciliation, and justice in our literature–and in our politics? Is the experience and ministry of Pope Francis, a lover of literature from the Global South, relevant in this context?
Participants
Kamila Shamsie
Kamila Shamsie is the author of six novels, most recently Home Fire (2017) and A God in Every Stone (2014), which was shortlisted for the Baileys Prize and the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, as well Burnt Shadows (2009) and In the City by the Sea (1998). Her novels have been translated into more than 25 languages, and three have won awards from the Pakistan Academy of Letters. In 2013 Shamsie was named one of Granta’s “Best of Young British Novelists.” She grew up in Pakistan, studied in the United States, is based in London, and is now serving as writer in residence at Georgetown University in Qatar.
Nesrine Malik
Nesrine Malik is an acclaimed British Sudanese author and journalist known for her wide-ranging commentary on race, identity, politics, and international affairs. Her book We Need New Stories: Challenging the Toxic Myths Behind Our Age of Discontent (2019) critiques the narrative foundations of increasingly intolerant and authoritarian politics in Britain and the United States. Malik’s columns in outlets like the Guardian, New York Times, and Washington Post address topics ranging from Islamophobia and feminism to African politics, with deep insights into the ways colonial and postcolonial legacies shape our contemporary world. Malik received the 2021 Robert B. Silvers Prize for Journalism.
Juan Gabriel Vásquez
Juan Gabriel Vásquez is the author of six novels, including The Sound of Things Falling (2011)—which won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Gregor von Rezzori Prize, and the Alfaguara Prize—and two collections of stories, The All Saints’ Day Lovers (2015) and Songs for the Flames (2021). In 2019 his The Shape of the Ruins (2018) was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize. Vásquez is also the translator into Spanish of works by E. M. Forster, John Hersey, and Victor Hugo, among others. His own books have been translated into more than 20 languages. He lives in Bogotá, Colombia.
Accessibility
Please email globaldialogues@georgetown.edu by June 2 with any accessibility requests. A good-faith effort will be made to fulfill all requests made after this date.