When Literature Meets the World (and the Heart)

I am so grateful to see every day how the seeds planted during the discussions, lectures, and readings I encountered at the Institute for World Literature in 2015 are still blooming in my life. In January 2023 I will begin a postdoctoral fellowship at Tokyo College on the theme of “the Humanities in 2050” focusing on the future of world literature. As Professor Kadir reminded us in a room at the University of Lisbon, world literature is the record of humans in time. And I am excited to build on this reflection as I gaze ahead to see what the coming decades have in store for the discipline.

In 2015, I was a first-year PhD student in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Northwestern University. I heard about IWL through my advisor and went to a meeting where a previous participant discussed her experience. Her enthusiasm for the IWL was very inspiring, and it made me wish to also be a part of this international constellation of curious and engaging scholars. As a Lusophone academic, the opportunity of studying world literature in Portugal appeared invaluable for my research. And the seminars that I attended, as well as the lectures, panels, the affinity group meetings, and the exploration of Lisbon itself culminated in a life transformation that reached far beyond Lusitania.

Looking back, I can see how such an outstanding experience inspired me to continuously engage in meaningful discussions based on books. Seven years later, I realize that it is thanks to the IWL that I am now approaching world literature from a more interdisciplinary perspective. I am constantly returning to the references and notes from my time at the IWL while knowing, with gratitude, that the experience cannot be fully captured in paper and ink, but also expands to the community that I became a part of and to the friends that I made.

On a personal note, it was on the first day of the IWL that I met the person who is now my husband! Beyond getting married in 2021, Jason Rhys Parry and I also received the English PEN award for our translation of The Bankruptcy (A Falência) by Júlia Lopes de Almeida (UCL Press). I lack words to express how meaningful the experience of having joined the IWL in Lisbon in 2015 was for me and I highly encourage as many scholars as possible to join the future iterations. Perhaps, in 2050, we can all have a reunion to see how the program has helped the world become more connected through literature, translation, and (why not) love!

Cintia Kozonoi Vezzani

2015 IWL alumna, University of Lisbon

PhD Northwestern University

Post-Doctoral Fellow at Tokyo College, The University of Tokyo