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Poet laureate leads literary tour of Greece
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Contact:
George Bowering, 905.834.0642
Colin Doerr, SFU International, 604.291.5887; cdoerr@sfu.ca
Brian Chand, tour manager, 604.291.4494
George Bowering, 905.834.0642
Colin Doerr, SFU International, 604.291.5887; cdoerr@sfu.ca
Brian Chand, tour manager, 604.291.4494
January 23, 2004
From May 15 to May 28, George Bowering, an SFU professor emeritus in English and Canada’s newly appointed parliamentary poet laureate, will host "CanLit in Attica", a non-credit literary tour of Greece offered through SFU International.
The informal tour, limited to 25 participants, will begin in Athens and route through various ancient sites of literary significance such as Nafplion, Olympia, Delfi, Kalambaka, and Thessaloniki.
Bowering fell in love with Greece as a young man making his first trip to Europe in 1966. On that occasion, he travelled with one friend in a VW Beetle. This spring, he hopes to return with a busload of companions.
"This program should appeal to people who like to travel with their minds and not just their bodies," says the spirited two-time Governor-General’s award winner and author of more than 60 books of poetry and fiction.
"If you’ve ever had the experience of reading a poem or a story about a place, and then actually going there, and then rereading the poem or story, you know how it totally reconstructs your notions of that place.
Bowering, a B.C. native now living in rural Ontario, says generations of Canadian writers have sought "learning and inspiration" in the Aegean. "Greece is a common landscape for Canadian writers," he says, and his literary walkabout will cover ground described in the poetry and fiction of important Canadian writers such as Leonard Cohen, Al Purdy, Irving Layton, Audrey Thomas, and Robert Kroetsch.
The cost is $5,450 per person and includes return airfare from Vancouver, shared accommodation, breakfasts and in-country transportation. Registration deadline is March 1, with payment due by March 31.
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Digital image available
Web sites:
Poet Laureate Bowering: www.parl.gc.ca/Information/about/people/poet/index-e.htm
SFU International: www.sfu.ca/international
The informal tour, limited to 25 participants, will begin in Athens and route through various ancient sites of literary significance such as Nafplion, Olympia, Delfi, Kalambaka, and Thessaloniki.
Bowering fell in love with Greece as a young man making his first trip to Europe in 1966. On that occasion, he travelled with one friend in a VW Beetle. This spring, he hopes to return with a busload of companions.
"This program should appeal to people who like to travel with their minds and not just their bodies," says the spirited two-time Governor-General’s award winner and author of more than 60 books of poetry and fiction.
"If you’ve ever had the experience of reading a poem or a story about a place, and then actually going there, and then rereading the poem or story, you know how it totally reconstructs your notions of that place.
Bowering, a B.C. native now living in rural Ontario, says generations of Canadian writers have sought "learning and inspiration" in the Aegean. "Greece is a common landscape for Canadian writers," he says, and his literary walkabout will cover ground described in the poetry and fiction of important Canadian writers such as Leonard Cohen, Al Purdy, Irving Layton, Audrey Thomas, and Robert Kroetsch.
The cost is $5,450 per person and includes return airfare from Vancouver, shared accommodation, breakfasts and in-country transportation. Registration deadline is March 1, with payment due by March 31.
-30-
Digital image available
Web sites:
Poet Laureate Bowering: www.parl.gc.ca/Information/about/people/poet/index-e.htm
SFU International: www.sfu.ca/international