Critically acclaimed author discusses his latest book at a public Georgetown University book reading

Press release

Published September 2nd, 2014 - 06:51 GMT

Al Bawaba

Author Dinaw Mengestu, a rising star of African literature, will be discussing his latest critically acclaimed fictional novel on the school’s Education City campus at a public book reading on Tuesday, September 2 at 6:00pm.

The novel is titled “All Our Names”, and explores the friendship of two young African men caught between the political turmoil of 1970s Uganda and the racial prejudices of a post-Vietnam war America. All Our Names has received glowing praise since being published earlier this year. The New York Times describes it as “straightforward but at the same time so mysterious that you can’t turn the pages fast enough, and when you’re done, your first impulse is to go back to the beginning and start over.”

Frieda Wiebe, Director of the Georgetown Library, said about the upcoming book reading: “This library offers a wonderful public space to engage the Doha community with writers, thinkers, and leaders from around the globe. It is an absolute privilege to have an author of Dinaw Mengestu’s stature discussing his latest novel with students and the community here at Georgetown.”

Mengestu is a 2000 graduate of Georgetown University’s Washington, DC campus where he currently teaches in the English department as the Lannan Chair of Poetics. He welcomed the opportunity to share his novel to readers in Qatar, saying: “It is through literature that we learn to find the common threads of our shared humanity. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss my work, and I hope the work of the many great writers from the Middle East, with the vibrant community in Doha.”

He is the author of three critically-acclaimed novels, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears (2008), How to Read the Air (2010) and this year’s All Our Names (2014). He is also a 2012 recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant,” given yearly by the MacArthur Foundation “to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations.” The free and open to the public book reading will be held at the Georgetown Building and those wishing to attend can register at the university’s website.

Background Information

Georgetown University in Qatar

Established in 1789 in Washington, DC, Georgetown University is one of the world’s leading academic and research institutions. Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), founded in 2005 in partnership with Qatar Foundation, seeks to build upon the world-class reputation of the university through education, research, and service. Inspired by the university’s mission of promoting intellectual, ethical, and spiritual understanding, GU-Q aims to advance knowledge and provide students and the community with a holistic educational experience that produces global citizens committed to the service of humankind.

Located in Doha’s Education City, GU-Q offers the same internationally recognized Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service degree as Georgetown’s Capitol Campus in Washington, DC. This unique, interdisciplinary program prepares students to tackle the most important and pressing global issues by helping them develop critical thinking, analytic, and communication skills within an international context. GU-Q alumni work in leading local and international organizations across industries ranging from finance to energy, education, and media. The Qatar campus also serves as a residency and delivery location for the Executive Master’s in Emergency and Disaster Management along with the Executive Master’s in Leadership.