Forum Network

Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

Funding provided by:

Boston Athenaeum

The Boston Athenaeum, one of the oldest and most distinguished independent libraries in the United States, was founded in 1807 by members of the Anthology Society, a group of fourteen Boston gentlemen who had joined together in 1805 to edit The Monthly Anthology and Boston Review. Their purpose was to form "an establishment similar to that of the Athenaeum and Lyceum of Liverpool in Great Britain; combining the advantages of a public library [and] containing the great works of learning and science in all languages." The library and Art Gallery, established in 1827, were soon flourishing, and grew rapidly, both by purchase of books and art and by frequent gifts. For nearly half a century the Athenaeum was the unchallenged center of intellectual life in Boston, and by 1851 had become one of the five largest libraries in the United States. Today its collections comprise over half a million volumes, with particular strengths in Boston history, New England state and local history, biography, English and American literature, and the fine and decorative arts. The Athenaeum supports a dynamic art gallery, and sponsors a lively variety of events such as lectures and concerts. It also serves as a stimulating center for discussions among scholars, bibliophiles, and a variety of community interest groups.break

http://www.bostonathenaeum.org

Bush, Blair, and Iraq: The Making of a Catastrophe

Fri, Nov 5, 2004

Simon Jenkins argues that, though much has been made of the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom and of the personal relationship between George Bush and Tony Blair, the war in Iraq has strained these public and private ties.

Forum Network

Partner:

Boston Athenaeum
Esmeralda Santiago: The Turkish Lover

Thu, Oct 21, 2004

Esmeralda Santiago discusses her new book, *The Turkish Lover*, in which she describes finally breaking out of a monumental struggle with her powerful mother, only to come under the thrall of "the Turk" and discover that romantic passion, too, can become a prison. Esmeralda's journey of self-liberation and self-discovery is a daring one, candidly and zestfully recounted, and that leads, most improbably, to her triumphant graduation from Harvard University.

Forum Network

Partner:

Boston Athenaeum
Seen But Not Heard: Images of Children in American Art

Tue, Nov 30, 2004

In conjunction with the Fall 2004 exhibition "Seen But Not Heard: Images of Children from the Collection of the Boston Athenaeum", David Dearinger surveys the manner in which children were depicted in 19th and early 20th century American art. Artists such as Winslow Homer, Lily Martin Spencer, George Caleb Bingham, J. G. Brown, Mary Cassatt, and Robert Henri are discussed in this illustrated lecture.

Forum Network

Partner:

Boston Athenaeum
French Negotiating Behavior: Dealing with La Grande Nation

Tue, Dec 7, 2004

Lecturing from his book French Negotiating Behavior, Charles Cogan explores the cultural and historical factors that have shaped the French approach and then dissects their key elements. He postulates that French negotiators often seem more interested in asserting their country's "universal" mission than in reaching an agreement, and he uses three recent case studies to illustrate this uniquely French mélange. Cogan also offers practical suggestions for making negotiations more cooperative and productive.

Forum Network

Partner:

Boston Athenaeum
Wodehouse: A Life

Tue, Dec 14, 2004

Author and editor Robert McCrumb discusses the life and works of P.G. Wodehouse, which he chronicled in detail in his biography Wodehouse: A Life. **Robert McCrum**, now literary editor of London's Observer, was the editor-in-chief of the publishing firm Faber & Faber in London for nearly 20 years. He has written six highly acclaimed novels and is the co-author of the bestselling The Story of the English. McCrum lives in London.

Forum Network

Partner:

Boston Athenaeum
Favorite English Country Houses

Thu, Nov 4, 2004

Sir Simon Jenkins explores the eclectic range of English properties among his own personal favorites. England retains far more great houses with their contents intact and on display than any other country in the world, with houses of interest ranging from Cornwall in the south to Cumbria in the far north. He looks beyond the architecture to focus on the often fascinating and sometimes amusing personal histories of the owners. Included are such properties as Bodiam, Hardwick, Kingston Lacy, Chastleton, Castle Drogo, Cothele, and Lanhydrock.

Forum Network

Partner:

Boston Athenaeum
Writer's Room Presents: LeHane, Mazur and Perrotta

Sat, Nov 6, 2004

Writers Gail Mazur, Tom Perrotta, and Dennis Lehane read from their current projects and discuss the New England authors who have been important to their work. This lively, entertaining, and thoroughly Bostonian discussion connects the city's literary past to the thriving writing community of today.

Forum Network

Partner:

Boston Athenaeum
Colossus of New York: City in 13 Parts

Thu, Oct 14, 2004

Colson Whitehead re-creates the exuberance, the chaos, the promise, and heartbreak of New York. *The Colossus of New York* captures the city's inner and outer landscapes in a series of vignettes, meditations, and personal memories. Conveying the feelings and thoughts of longtime residents and of newcomers who dream of making the city their home, of those who have conquered its challenges, and of those who struggle against its cruelties, *Colossus* is a portrait of life in the big city.

Forum Network

Partner:

Boston Athenaeum
Presidential Health: Bloodletting to Ballistics

Thu, Oct 28, 2004

Kevin R. Loughlin traces events involving the health of presidents from George Washington to the present day. He reviews the impairments of Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, and John Kennedy that were hidden from the public, and describes the gory circumstances of Washington's demise (he was essentially bled to death). Loughlin also discusses the cardiac history of Dwight Eisenhower, which was misdiagnosed as indigestion by his well-meaning personal physician and friend; a president who underwent secret surgery aboard a yacht in the East River; and some of the medical aspects of the presidential assassinations. Loughlin concludes with an analysis of how presidential health is currently monitored and offers recommendations for the future. **Kevin R. Loughlin** has been on the faculty of Harvard Medical School for over two decades, where he is currently professor of surgery. Throughout his surgical career, he has had an interest in medical history and has written and lectured on this area numerous times. He has had a particular interest in the health of US presidents and the impact of their illnesses on history.

Forum Network

Partner:

Boston Athenaeum
Longfellow: A Rediscovered Life

Tue, Feb 8, 2005

Charles C. Calhoun shows how the young poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow blended the Federalist politics and Unitarianism of his parents' generation with the German romanticism he discovered on his travels. The result was distinctive American poetry, traditional in form, but nationalistic in sentiment. Longfellow's Paul Revere, Priscilla Alden, Miles Standish, and the Village Blacksmith became American icons. And in his masterpiece, *Evangeline*, Longfellow invented the foundational myth of Acadian and Cajun ethnic identity. Calhoun's *Longfellow: A Rediscovered Life* is a Victorian family saga. As a young man from the provinces, Longfellow gained international celebrity and great wealth; yet his life was afflicted by chronic melancholy, by the tragic deaths of two beloved wives, by a spendthrift son, and by a self-destructive brother. A procession of vivid characters walks through the pages of Calhoun's book, from the poet's Revolutionary War grandfather, Peleg Wadsworth, to his friends and acquaintances, including Hawthorne, Emerson, Charles Sumner, Dickens, Carlyle, Fanny Butler, Queen Victoria, and Oscar Wilde.

Forum Network

Partner:

Boston Athenaeum

Load More