Episodes from a childhood: reading and writing workshop

Spanish Language and Literature

How are the experiences and values of the children's world staged in literature? What do children represent in the modern Spanish-language fairy tale? How is their experience reflected in the language of the story? In what context does our interpretation make sense? To discuss these and other questions, we will read a selection of stories taken from the following works: Ana María Matute, Los niños tontos; Silvina Ocampo, Cuentos completos I; Miguel Delibes, El príncipe destronado; José Emilio Pacheco, El viento distante; Almudena Grandes, Modelos de mujer. A dossier with the texts to be read will be sent in advance to registered participants. 
Parallel to the reading, we will experiment with different writing strategies and uses of words, in order to create our own childhood episodes. These may present, for example, an everyday scene, a fragmented memory, an unfulfilled dream, dialogues between siblings, a misunderstanding, a dangerous game, a special day, the size of things, a story that was told to me, etc. They will be short episodes - imagined or remembered -, starring a boy or a girl.

Each meeting will be dedicated to a particular author and a particular writing exercise. A literature workshop is offered, linking the reading of Spanish and Latin American stories starring children with the individual writing of childhood episodes by the participants. The course is aimed at people interested in taking the literary tale as a starting point for their own creative writing; in changing perspective and perceiving the adult world through the eyes of a child; in remembering and inventing to open windows into an unknown childhood; in giving voice to those who do not speak, according to the origin of the word infans (Latin: 'who do not speak'); and in sharing readings and writing experiences. 

Professor Dr. Rita Catrina Imboden, Professor of Spanish and Latin American Literature, University of Zurich