International Lawrence Durrell Society

On Miracle Ground XIV:
Durrell and the Archive: The Modernist Milieu

June 25-29, 2006      |      Call For Papers

University of Victoria, 2005. Photo courtesy J. Gifford

From the 1930s to the 1990s, Lawrence Durrell bridged many literary movements, having ties to Europe, Greece, India, and Egypt, as well as interacting with authors as diverse as T. S. Eliot, George Seferis, Henry Miller, Elizabeth Smart, and Dylan Thomas. Durrell's works prompt responses engaged with not only the texts themselves but also the conflicting literary and aesthetic tensions of the past century. Of particular interest are Anglo-American Modernisms, Surrealism, Greek Modernism, WWII Poetry, Indian Anglophone Literature, Imperialism, and Travel Narratives.

We invite proposals for papers or panels (in English or French) that broadly consider Durrell's works or the circles in which he moved. The conference also highlights the excellent collection of manuscript, print, and correspondence materials held at the University of Victoria. Papers that address modernist archives are particularly welcome, as are panels that thematically or historically relate Durrell to his milieu.

Victoria

The conference will be held in the capital city of British Columbia, a port city with a long literary history and active arts community. Victoria is home to many art galleries, quiet tea shops, a busy harbour area ringed with Victorian buildings, and a vibrant range of ecological diversity inside and outside the city. Located on Vancouver Island, Victoria is accessible by ferry (from Vancouver via Tsawwassen, Port Angeles, or Seattle) or by air. Coaches are available from the Vancouver International Airport to downtown Victoria via the ferry system.

For researchers, the McPherson Library houses an excellent Special Collections with strong Modernist holdings -- Robert Graves, T. S. Eliot, Henry Miller, Herbert Read, Ezra Pound, Durrell, and others are particularly well represented. Likewise, further holdings are nearby in Vancouver.

Deadlines, Inquiries, & Costs

Please address all inquiries to the conference organizer, James Gifford. Send all proposals (approximately 250 words) by mail or email (email preferred) no later than January 20th, 2006 UPDATED: March 13, 2006:

James Gifford
Department of English & Film Studies
3-5 Humanities Centre
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB
T6G 2E5, Canada

Email: gifford@ualberta.ca

Registration:

The registration fee is $120 US/$150 CDN before 15 April 2006 ($140/$170 thereafter). For students, the fee is $60 US/$75 CDN before 15 April 2006 ($80/$95 thereafter). Please send all fees to:

Paul Lorenz
International Lawrence Durrell Society
3201 S. Beech Street
Apt. #40
Pine Bluff, AR 71603

Coordinating Committee

James Gifford
Paul Lorenz
Candace Fertile
Chris Petter
Stephen Ross
Lynne Van Luven
Lindsay Parker

Sponsors

The International Lawrence Durrell Society
The University of Victoria
Canadian Research Chairs
Department of History of Art, University of Victoria
Department of English, University of Victoria
Department of Writing, University of Victoria
Special Collections, University of Victoria
Department of English, University of Alberta

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