Updated with event slideshow:
Booker Prize-winning author of Life of Pi, Yann Martel, will be in Halifax on March 23 and 24, 2017, for two-nights as part of the Cyril Byrne Memorial Lecture.
“We are proud to host world-renowned author Yann Martel as he discusses the themes of loss and the imagination,” said Saint Mary’s University President Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray. “The Cyril Byrne Memorial Lecture has grown in stature over the past decade and it builds on our tradition of taking the highest level of knowledge and discourse beyond the university lecture hall and out into the wider community for the enjoyment and appreciation of all.”
Martel’s lecture is a special Saint Mary’s University and Halifax Public Libraries joint presentation and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the first public education courses ever offered by Saint Mary’s through the Halifax Public Libraries system.
“Access to education supports an individual’s ability to have informed engagement in society,” says Åsa Kachan, Chief Librarian and CEO of Halifax Public Libraries. “Offering university lectures at the Library that are open to all feeds curiosity, supports learning, and offers personal fulfillment. Together – the university, the Library, and learners - we work to create an informed citizenry which has remarkable impact.”
The two-night lecture begins on Thursday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the Paul O’Regan Hall at the Halifax Central Library where Martel will speak on the recurring subject of loss in his fiction. Guests are invited to dress all in black to match the theme of the event.
On Friday, March 24 at 7 p.m., the action shifts to the McNally Theatre at Saint Mary’s University, where the lecture will conclude with a celebration of the power of the imagination. Guests are invited to dress in colourful outfits to match the theme of the event.
The Cyril Byrne Memorial Lecture is presented to the community free of charge and all are welcome. Attendees are able to choose between going to one night or both, however seating may be limited.