Respected Colombian author to speak on campus
Sept. 19, 2002
KALAMAZOO -- Novelist David Sanchez Juliao, whose career spans more than three decades and five continents, will discuss his work and formation as a writer Thursday, Oct. 3, as part of Western Michigan University's 2002-03 Visiting Scholars and Artists Program.
Sanchez Juliao will discuss "Oral Tradition, Written Word and Communication Systems in Colombian Literature" at 4 p.m. in Room 1021 of Brown Hall. The departments of English and Foreign Languages and Literatures are serving as hosts for his visit.
The Bogota, Colombia, author has written extensively about Latin American and Caribbean history, ethnicity, traditions, folklore, music and politics. In addition to lecturing at universities in the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia, Sanchez Juliao is a former Colombian ambassador to India and Egypt, and has worked with non-profit groups in Central America and Mexico.
Several of Sanchez Juliao's novels have won prestigious awards, including the Plaza and Janes prize for best Colombian novel for 1983's "Pero sigo siendo el rey" and the Dulcinea Award from the Cervantes Association in Barcelona for his 1999 work, "Danza de rendención." In addition to his literary work, Sanchez Juliao has written and narrated a series of popular tales on compact disk and cassette tapes which reached best-seller status in Colombia. And "El gallito Ramírez," the television soap opera version of "Pero sigo siendo el rey," was seen by millions in Latin America.
The Visiting Scholars and Artists Program at WMU was established in 1960 and has supported more than 500 visits by scholars and artists representing some 65 academic disciplines. The chairperson of the committee that oversees the program is Dr. Carol Bennett, instructor in the Department of Business Information Systems.
Media contact: Gail Towns, 269 387-8400, gail.towns@wmich.edu