Reading Group: Dreams and Daggers

Our traditional Reading Group led by Mariela Burani resumes its work after the holidays with four stand-alone online sessions.

APRIR members: $6000 each session. 

Non-members: $9000 each session. 

August 10th : Wakefield (1835) by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Wakefield (2007) by E.L. Doctorow 
Let’s explore the intriguing concept of a man abruptly disappearing from his everyday life to observe the world he leaves behind. Hawthorne’s Wakefield takes place in 1835, and the main character is a Victorian gentleman, whereas Doctorow’s 2008 narrative reimagines this premise in a modern context, focusing on a Manhattan lawyer’s psychological journey as he hides out in his garage attic. 

September 7th:  A selection from “Monday or Tuesday” by Virginia Woolf
«I want to think quietly, calmly, spaciously, never to be interrupted, never to have to rise from my chair, to slip easily from one thing to another, without any sense of hostility or obstacle. I want to sink deeper and deeper, away from the surface, with its hard separate facts.» (Virginia Woolf, «The Mark on the Wall”)
In this session, we will explore a selection of texts from «Monday or Tuesday,» Virginia Woolf’s collection of short fiction published in 1921. This collection, the only one she chose to publish, is one of Woolf’s earlier works and showcases her experimentation with narrative form and the development of her modernist style.
The collection is marked by Woolf’s focus on inner experiences, fleeting thoughts, and the sensory world. The stories often eschew traditional plot structures, instead delving into the intricacies of perception and the fluidity of consciousness. Woolf’s innovative use of language and narrative technique in this collection laid the groundwork for her later, more famous works. Special guests: translators Pato Labastié and Erika Cosenza, who are responsible for the new translation of Monday or Tuesday, will join us to discuss their experience translating Virginia Woolf’s shorter prose and the significance of producing new translations of her work.

November 9th: In translation: A Simple Heart by Gustave Flaubert.

A Simple Heart, or Un cœur simple in French, tells the story of Félicité, a humble and devoted servant, whose life is marked by quiet suffering, loss, and unwavering loyalty. Through her deep love for others—especially her employer’s family and a pet parrot—Flaubert highlights her pure heart and enduring faith. The story beautifully captures themes of selflessness, loneliness, and the search for meaning in an ordinary life. It’s a moving portrayal of human endurance in the face of hardship. Join us in this session as we dive into this timeless story, exploring its rich themes, complex emotions, and Flaubert’s masterful narrative style. Whether you’re reading A Simple Heart for the first time or revisiting it, there’s always something new to discover.

December 9th: “An Attack of Hunger” by Maeve Brennan.

«An Attack of Hunger» explores themes of emotional constraints within an Irish family, focusing on the dynamics between a smothering mother, a weak or distant father, and their son. The mother’s obsessive focus on her son, John, isolates her from her husband, perpetuating a cycle of coldness and emotional void in their marriage. The son’s decision to leave home to become a priest deepens her loneliness and sense of abandonment, while the husband, diminished in his role, passively supports the household.

Maeve Brennan (1917–1993), born in Dublin, moved to Washington, DC, at seventeen when her father became Ireland’s first envoy to the United States. After studying English Literature at the American University of Washington, she relocated to New York, joining The New Yorker in 1949 as a staff writer. Under the pseudonym «The Long-Winded Lady,» she gained recognition for her sketches of New York life. Brennan also published acclaimed short stories, collected in In and Out of Never-Never Land (1969), Christmas Eve (1974), and the posthumous collections The Springs of Affection (1997) and The Rose Garden (2000). Her novella The Visitor was discovered and published in 2000. (Adapted from The Granta Book of the Irish Short Story)