We meet every 2-3 months over wine, juice and nibbles to discuss a book that aspires to shed some light on the current state of the world. To date we have focussed mostly on novels, but we have also looked at one biography and a collection of short stories, and might also look at plays or poetry in future.
The reading group format seems to work particularly well in Wolfson, a community which brings together people with so many different backgrounds. Everyone (from any academic discipline or none) brings their own perspective to a book, and the aim is simply to have an enjoyable chat sharing views and ideas, not a formal academic discussion. Serious highbrow literary criticism isn't expected, and everyone who comes along should find it easy to contribute.
All meetings are at 8p.m. in Plommer room A, Wolfson College.
Wednesday, 14th November: Oryx and Crake (Margaret Atwood)
Wednesday, 30th January: The Rings of Saturn (W.G.Sebald)
Wednesday, 26th March: The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse (Rebecca Erdrich)
Wednesday, 28th May: A Tale of Love and Darkness (Amos Oz, translated by Nicholas de Lange)
In previous meetings we discussed the following:
(2005-6) Saturday (Ian McEwan), Disgrace (J.M. Coetzee), Anil's Ghost (Michael Ondaatje), Miss Garnet's Angel (Salley Vickers), Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro), On Beauty (Zadie Smith), Stuart: A Life Backwards (Alexander Masters)
(2006-7) After Rain (William Trevor), Snow (Orhan Pamuk), The Inheritance of Loss (Kiran Desai), The Tenderness of Wolves (Stef Penney), Watch Me Disappear (Jill Dawson).
If you are a member of Wolfson and interested in the group, you can subscribe yourself to the mailing list by going here and typing in the listname wolfson-reading-group. (You'll need to log in via a Raven password, which current members should anyway have: if you don't have one it can be obtained from the central computing service.) The weblink also allows you to unsubscribe and to alter your email and other details. In case of difficulty feel free to send me a message.
Adrian Kent