We are delighted to be hosting our next event on Tuesday 7th November 2023, at 2pm, in partnership with the Linenhall Library.
The event is to be held at Linenhall Library, 17 Donegall Square North, Belfast, where Lynn Gordon will be joining us for a talk on Seamus Heaney and Virgil:
‘Shadows on the Brink: ‘Route 110’, Aeneid VI, and Seamus Heaney, a Virgilian poet-prophet’
A brief introduction to the talk:
Virgil’s Aeneid, the epic story of Aeneas leading the surviving Trojans to Italy after the destruction of Troy, is the benchmark against which Seamus Heaney constantly seems to measure himself. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Heaney’s poem ‘Route 110’ from his collection Human Chain (published in 2010), which is so closely based on Aeneid VI narrating Aeneas’ journey into the underworld, a translation of which was Heaney’s last published work. With the story and structure of Virgil’s Aeneid VI as his guide, Heaney journeys into the underworld of his own past. In this talk, Lynn Gordon unravels the threads that connect these literary giants, shedding light on why Heaney found solace and guidance in Virgil’s words that helped him negotiate his own personal and political dilemmas.
Please note that this is a ticketed event, and we are anticipating a large number of interested people. Tickets can be acquired from the Linenhall website.
A number of free tickets are reserved for CANI members. As these tickets are limited, we kindly ask you to notify us if you wish to attend. Should numbers go above capacity, CANI tickets will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. If you would like to register your interest and ability to attend this event, please send an email with your first name, surname, and your email address, no later than 1st November 2023 at classicalassociationni@hotmail.com