Punctuated Post: Amara Lakhous' Dispute Over a Very Italian Piglet

Ever since I was introduced to Europa Editions, they have been my go-to publisher for international fiction, and especially translations of contemporary literature. My latest discovery from the publisher came at the Modern Language Association meeting in January. Penguin was there (they distribute for Europa Editions) selling paperback books for $3.00. Now, do not get me wrong, these books are worth every penny of the usual $15.00 to $18.00 they usually cost, but there is no way I could pass up a book deal that good, especially when I noticed the adorable cover of Dispute Over a Very Italian Piglet by Amara Lakhous and translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein.

The book is truly charming. Lakhous, an award-winning author, manages to strike a smart balance between depth and humor--usually a tricky task. A lighthearted Italian novel about multiculturalism and a missing piglet, it is at once whimsical and prying as to the issues surrounding immigration, labor, and day-to-day life. Anyone who reads this will be able to see the obvious similarities to immigration debates in the United States along with the hypocrisies of xenophobia. I quite liked a book review from The Independent that both overviewed the plot and spoke to its literary contributions.

Lakhous, Amara. Dispute Over a Very Italian Piglet. Trans. by Ann Goldstein. New York: Europa Editions, 2014.

Professional Development Panel

This morning, at 11 am, it is my honor to present on a professional development panel with Dr. Antoinette Burton (professor of history, UIUC) and Dr. Carina Ray (professor of African and Afro-American studies, Brandeis). The panel will take place at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Graduate Symposium on Women's and Gender History. We'll discuss preparing papers for publication, transitioning to the tenure track, and revising your dissertation into a book.

Of course, when the panel was planned, we had no idea that we'd be presenting at the same time as a Bernie Sanders rally elsewhere on campus!