Trinity College

Highly acclaimed novelist will read at fall 2009 series

What: The Trinity College English Department welcomes Emmanuel Dongala, acclaimed writer and Richard B. Fisher Chair in Natural Sciences at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, to kickoff the Fall 2009 Allan K. Smith Reading Series. This event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase in the College bookstore and a signing and reception will follow.

When: Thursday, October 8 2009 ~ 4:30 p.m.

Where: Reese Room, Smith House on the campus on Trinity College
300 Summit Street, Hartford, Conn. 06106

Background: Emmanuel Dongala was born in Congo (Brazzaville) and earned degrees in Chemistry from Oberlin College and Rutgers University. He holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from France.

Dongala, who writes in French, has won numerous literary prizes in the U.S. and France, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Grand Prix de Littérature de l’Afrique Noire, the Prix de la Fondation de France, and the Prix Radio France Internationale. Regarded as one of the most engaging African novelists, Dongala is the author of four critically acclaimed novels, a collection of short stories and a play – translated in English and more than a dozen languages.

In 1998, a bitter civil war in the Congo forced Dongala, who was a professor of Chemistry and dean, to flee his country with help from long-term friend, the writer Philip Roth. Dongala holds the Richard B. Fisher Chair in Natural Sciences at Bard College at Simon’s Rock where he also leads a seminar in Francophone African literature. His latest novel, Johnny Mad Dog, was recently made into a film.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Tracy Quigley at 860-297-2568, or by email at Tracy.Quigley@trincoll.edu.