Mohammed Bin Rashid Library to organise Epistolary Literature Forum
WAM: As part of its vision to enrich the cultural and intellectual landscape, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library will organise the Epistolary Literature Forum on 1 and 2 September. The forum will celebrate letters as a literary art form and as a human and cultural experience that documents the thoughts, emotions, and relationships between creative figures throughout history.
The forum will feature panel discussions exploring the history of epistolary literature and examining its presence in Arab and global culture. It will also highlight notable examples of literary correspondence and explore their human and intellectual dimensions.
The forum will kick off with a short film, followed by a welcome address and a presentation of a research paper entitled Epistolary Literature in Emirati Culture. The paper will explore the presence of letters in the UAE’s cultural memory, their various forms, and their role in expressing human, social, and intellectual relationships.
In collaboration with Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, the forum will feature a session titled Epistolary Writing in the Works of Abu al-Ala al-Ma’arri: Reflections on Humanity and Existence. This session will explore al-Ma'arri’s experience with correspondence and the intellectual, philosophical, and human reflections contained within his letters, as well as their role in understanding his perspective on humanity and existence.
The programme will continue with Writers' Letters: A Private Space Between Art and Creativity. This panel discussion will explore letters as an intimate space for expression in comparison with other literary forms.
Furthermore, day one of the forum will also include a session entitled Al-Jahiz’s Letters: Literature, Thought, and the Art of Arabic Letter-Writing. The session will shed light on the importance of letters in the Arab literary heritage and their role in enriching intellectual and literary life.
Meanwhile, on day two, the Russian-language session When Writers Write to One Another: Friendships That Shaped Literature will examine literary relationships and friendships that emerged and developed through correspondence and contributed to shaping creative experiences and influential literary dialogues.
Day two will also feature an English-language session titled Letters in the Age of Speed: Has the Form Changed, or the Essence? The session will examine transformations in writing in the digital age and explore whether modern communication technologies have changed the essence of letter-writing as a form of human expression and communication, or merely reshaped its form and media.
Furthermore, the programme will feature a French-language session titled From Guilleragues’ Portuguese Letters to Autofiction: Intimacy Ahead of Its Time, or When Fiction Invents Sincerity. This session will explore the impact of The Portuguese Letters on the development of a language of personal confession and its continuing influence on contemporary fiction and autofiction, reaffirming the place of epistolary literature as a timeless literary space for self-discovery.
The programme will also include a two-day workshop titled The Letter Lab. It will offer a space for participants to develop their creative writing skills and explore techniques of expression and text construction, with an emphasis on writing as a creative practice.
Simultaneous interpretation will be available throughout all forum sessions, allowing audiences from different linguistic backgrounds to follow the discussions and benefit from their content.
The Epistolary Literature Forum reflects the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library’s commitment to presenting cultural programmes that create spaces for dialogue and interaction around different forms of creativity. It also reinforces the role of literature as a means of communication between cultures and generations.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library urged community members and those interested in literature, writing, and culture to participate in the forum and register to attend its sessions and activities through the following link: https://events.mbrl.ae/EpistolaryLiteratureForum