The Lattes and Lit Book Club is excited to partner with the South Asian Society and Lannan Center for Poetics and Social Practice for a discussion of Shehan Karunatilaka's novel, "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida" on Friday, October 18th from 4:00-5:00 pm in the Murray Room, 5th floor of Lauinger Library.
Our book club discussion will be facilitated by Tope Folarin, the Lannan Visiting Lecturer in Creative Writing and the Director of the Institute for Policy Studies.
Winner of the 2022 Booker Prize, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is a searing satire set amid the mayhem of the Sri Lankan civil war. Colombo, 1990. Maali Almeida--war photographer, gambler, and closet queen--has woken up dead in what seems like a celestial visa office. His dismembered body is sinking in the serene Beira Lake and he has no idea who killed him. In a country where scores are settled by death squads, suicide bombers, and hired goons, the list of suspects is depressingly long, as the ghouls and ghosts with grudges who cluster round can attest. But even in the afterlife, time is running out for Maali. He has seven moons to contact the man and woman he loves most and lead them to the photos that will rock Sri Lanka. Ten years after his prize-winning novel Chinaman established him as one of Sri Lanka's foremost authors, Shehan Karunatilaka is back with a "thrilling satire" (Economist) and rip-roaring state-of-the-nation epic that offers equal parts mordant wit and disturbing, profound truths.
Our book club is open to all Georgetown students, faculty, and staff.
Lattes and Lit book club meetings provide an excellent opportunity to discuss books and socialize, network, and share diverse perspectives with people across academic departments, roles, and generations in a no-pressure environment. The Midnight Mug, which co-sponsors Lattes and Lit with the Library, also supplies coffee and other tasty treats!
You'll also enjoy watching the Lannan Center's reading and talk featuring writer Shehan Karunatilaka in conversation with Tope Folarin, Lannan Visiting Lecturer and Director of the Institute for Policy Studies, on October 1, 2024.
Beth.Marhanka@georgetown.edu