Holly Collins, ‘World Literature in French Versus the Parisian Publishing Empire’

This lecture will focus on the politics of publishing as it relates to labels such as ‘French’ and ‘Francophone.’ Holly Collins’ discussion concentrates on how Québec’s publishing industry boomed at the turn of the 20th century, challenging the prestige and monopoly of the Parisian publishing industry. Collins shows how the rise of the Québec publishing industry demonstrates the real possibility of a world literature, where no one nation plays the role of the empire or sole possessor of language as a general deterritorialization of the book takes place in the global era. This talk will provide insight into questions of linguistic identity and labels, nationhood and politics as Québec becomes a major locus of literary and cultural production.

Coffee reception at 4:30 p.m. in Dey 216 and presentation at 5 p.m. in Toy Lounge

For more information, contact bessette@live.unc.edu.

Sponsored by the Department of Romance Studies, the Center for European Studies, the Center for Global Initiatives and the Graduate and Professional Student Federation.