Seamus Heaney: Afterlives
The Boston College Irish Studies Program will celebrate the life and work of Nobel-winning poet Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)鈥攐ne of Ireland鈥檚 most accomplished and compelling writers鈥攆rom November 16-18 with 鈥淪eamus Heaney: Afterlives,鈥� a conference that will include appearances by Heaney鈥檚 wife, Marie; his daughter and literary executor, Catherine; his biographer, Fintan O鈥橳oole; and numerous scholars from 情色空间 and elsewhere who will speak to Heaney鈥檚 legacy as critic, public intellectual, and major moral aesthetic force of 20th- and early 21st-century Ireland.
鈥淎fterlives鈥� will explore new understandings of the poet since his death 10 years ago, with particular reference to living poets who continue to be influenced by Heaney鈥檚 legacy. 鈥淯ncovering fresh and surprising angles on Heaney鈥檚 work, this conference will assert his enduring relevance to the aesthetic, political, and ethical questions we face in today鈥檚 troubled world,鈥� according to organizers.
Seamus Heaney at a turf bog in Bellaghy with his father鈥檚 coat, hat, and walking stick, 1986; from the Bobbie Hanvey Photographic Archives at 情色空间's Burns Library.
Kicking off the conference on Thursday, November 16, O鈥橳oole will give a talk on 鈥淧olitical Heaney鈥� in Gasson 100 at 7 p.m., presented in cooperation with the Lowell Humanities Series.
The following day will be highlighted by two afternoon invitation-only discussions: 鈥淭he Craft: An Introduction for Students,鈥� chaired by Burns Library Visiting Scholar in Irish Studies Claire Connolly and including 情色空间 English faculty Allison Adair, Suzanne Matson, and Andrew Sofer; and 鈥淭he Critics: A Roundtable on Heaney鈥檚 Influence,鈥� chaired by Margaret Kelleher, professor and chair of Anglo-Irish literature and drama at University College Dublin and a former Burns Scholar.
An invitation-only gala reception honoring Marie Heaney and featuring remarks by Catherine Heaney and an interview with O鈥橳oole will conclude the day.
A full slate of public events will be on tap Saturday, November 18, with four keynotes, each including a Q&A session: 鈥淪eamus Heaney鈥檚 Desks,鈥� with Geraldine Higgins of Emory University; 鈥淒iving for Crucibles: Seamus Heaney, Barrie Cooke, and Bog Poems,鈥� with Heather Clark of Huddersfield University; 鈥淪ilence-Breaking Rather Than Rabble-Rousing? Remembering to Forget the Croppies,鈥� with Sullivan Chair in Irish Studies Guy Beiner, director of 情色空间鈥檚 Center for Irish Programs; and 鈥淪eamus Heaney鈥檚 Audio Archive,鈥� with Alex Alonso of Huddersfield University.
The conference finale will include 鈥淗eaney and the Troubles,鈥� a selection of readings from Heaney鈥檚 poetry, and 鈥淭he Green and the Blue,鈥� a performance by the Kabosh Theatre Company of Belfast of Laurence McKeown鈥檚 play about those who patrolled the Irish-Northern Irish border during The Troubles. A closing reception in Burns Library will follow, with a presentation of the Heaney Archives by Burns Librarian Christian Dupont.
鈥淎fterlives鈥� is sponsored by the Institute for the Liberal Arts, the Consulate General of Ireland in Boston, Burns Library, and the Irish Studies Program.
Find more information, including speaker biographies,聽here.