*Inaugural Meeting*
Classics 21, Thurs 27 February 3.30-5ish
This informal seminar seeks to provoke writers and scholars from across the University by asking them to respond to a lyric poem from antiquity. We hope such responses may take the form of collaborative projects—on any scale—creating vigorous dialogues between disciplines, and between individuals who might not otherwise find an opportunity to work together over their (undisclosed) shared interests. Such disclosures may lead to creative translation, transformation, appropriation, and the derailment of standard academic practices—and ultimately to a reflection on the pervasive and sometimes corrosive position of classical literature in the Humanities.
Our fuel for the first meeting will be Simonides’ “Danae Fragment.” A Greek text and an English translation are provided, but the seminar is specifically designed with readers and writers of English in mind. Scholars of Greek are invited, on the condition that they begin to forget their Greek. Maximal and minimal pairings appreciated. Bring enthusiasm and rhythm. Learned lectures will not be provided, but refreshments will abound.
Please circulate to anyone of interest—particularly to creative writers, translators, and performers. Due to funding constraints, participants are asked to provide their own pen and pencil(s). The organizers are happy to make accommodations for anyone interested in attending—feel free to contact Claudio at sansone@uchicago.edu.
For the documents: https://voices.uchicago.edu/