News from the Division of Languages and Literature

As news of the war in Ukraine proliferated Western news cycles, what information reached Russians and how? Masha Gessen, distinguished writer in residence, spoke with Ezra Klein on the Ezra Klein Show about the information vacuum experienced by Russians, Vladimir Putin’s historical conception of himself, and how the sanctions deployed by the United States and others may not, ultimately, sway Putin’s current course of action. “The way that the narrative of sanctions works is it matches the working definition of insanity,” Gessen says. “Sanctions are the thing that never works, that the United States and other Western countries try over and over again expecting a different outcome.” In a wide-ranging conversation, Gessen outlined what they see as the likeliest paths forward for the war and its global implications.
 
Listen Now

Even if victory seems elusive, assisting resistance remains crucial, writes Ian Buruma, Paul W. Williams Professor of Human Rights and Journalism, for Bloomberg. Citing a history of citizen resistance to occupying forces and “shadow armies,” the West’s decision to bolster the Ukrainian army is undoubtedly the right move, he argues, no matter the outcome of the war. “However puny in military terms, armed resistance undercuts that projection of omnipotence,” Buruma says. “It reveals the vulnerability of the aggressor, just by showing that people can fight back. That sense of vulnerability can grow over time.”
 
Read More in Bloomberg

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), in partnership with Arts Midwest, awarded Bard College a $19,985 NEA Big Read grant to support the Big Read Hudson Valley: Spanning the Hudson River with Words, a dynamic, community-wide reading program offering reading groups, performances, workshops, and events in Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and Kingston. Big Read Hudson Valley, which will take place April 6–30, 2022, is a collaboration between Bard College and its Master of Arts in Teaching Program and La Voz magazine.

The Big Read Hudson Valley will kick off with a reading from Sandra Cisneros, author of the 2022 Big Read book selection, The House on Mango Street, on April 6 at the Fisher Center. Cisneros will read from her acclaimed novel followed by a conversation in English and Spanish with Mariel Fiori and Dinaw Mengestu.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros has been recognized by critics, professors, and readers alike as one of most important contributions to modern literature. This landmark story collection relates the triumphant coming-of-age of young Esperanza Cordero who finds her own voice and inner potential to overcome the impediments of poverty, gender, and her Chicana-American heritage.

Live-streaming of this event made possible by Radio Kingston.

Signed copies of The House on Mango Street will be available for sale in the lobby from Oblong Books and Music.

Sandra Cisneros’s appearance made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts and Radio Kingston.

Katy Schneider ’14, features editor for New York magazine, won the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) Next Award for journalists under 30. ASME Next Award winners are judged by their portfolio of work and are chosen each year for “their potential to make significant contributions to magazine journalism.” Schneider and the rest of this year’s winners will be honored at ASME’s annual award presentation on April 5, 2022.
 
Read More in New York
 
Read More on the Verge, as Reported by Aude White ’12