Wednesday, October 18, 2017, noon – 1:30 p.m.
Lecture: Experimental Shadow Theater in Contemporary Bali, Indonesia

The Asian Division and the Indonesian Embassy, Education and Culture Section offer the Library a special lecture with shadow puppets. In recent years, several dalang (shadow masters) in both Bali and Java have presented reinterpreted performances of ancient Indonesian texts as part of considering religious pluralism and tolerance. It is within these texts, which were produced between 1100 and 1400 AD by the Javanese Hindu-Buddhist sages Mpu Kunturan and Mpu Tantular that the Indonesian national motto bhineka tunggal ika (unity in diversity) first appeared. The speaker will be Gusti Sudarta, a Balinese shadow master, musician, composer, dancer, and choreographer. He is a renowned performer of Balinese traditional forms and is at the forefront of contemporary experimentation. The translator will be Dr. Andy McGraw, an associate professor of music at the University of Richmond, Virginia. He has published extensively on traditional and experimental music in Southeast Asia.
Please allow time to clear security.
Location: Montpelier Room (LM 619), 6th floor, Madison Building, 101 Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20540. Metro stop: Capitol South.
Contact: Hong Ta-Moore, (202) 707-3734, [email protected]
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 (Voice/TTY) or email[email protected]

Wednesday, October 18, 2017, 3 – 4 p.m.
Book Talk: The Book Thieves: The Nazi Looting of Europe’s Libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance

The Library of Congress European Division in partnership with the Embassy of Sweden presents “The Book Thieves: The Nazi Looting of Europe’s Libraries and the Race to Return a Literary Inheritance” by Anders Rydell. It tells the story of the Nazis’ systematic pillaging of Europe’s libraries, and the small team of heroic librarians now working to return the stolen books to their rightful owners.
Through extensive new research, Anders Rydell reveals the untold story of how the Nazis began to compile libraries of their own that were used to wage an intellectual war on their enemies. In this secret war, the libraries of Jews, communists, liberal politicians, LGBT activists, Catholics, Freemasons, and many other opposition groups were appropriated for Nazi research, and used as an intellectual weapon against their owners.
Anders Rydell is an established journalist, editor, and author of nonfiction. His works on the Nazi looting of art and books have been translated into 19 languages, among them German, Italian, Russian, and Chinese. The Book Thieves (Viking, 2017) is his first book in English. Book signing to follow.
Location: Thomas Jefferson Building, Room LJ-119, located on First Street, SE, between Independence Avenue and East Capitol Street. Metro stop: Capitol South.
Contact: Taru Spiegel at [email protected], 202-707-9814.
Request ASL and ADA accommodation five days in advance at 202-707-6362, or at [email protected].

Thursday, October 19, 2017, noon – 1 p.m.
Persian Book Lecture Series
Lecture: The Genesis of Print in Afghanistan During the Reign of Amir Sher Ali Khan (1871-77)

The Near East Section, African and Middle East Division of the Library of Congress invite you to a lecture, “The Genesis of Print in Afghanistan During the Reign of Amir Sher Ali Khan (1871-77),” by Elham Bakhtary, Doctoral Candidate, George Washington University and Mellon Fellow. This program is part of the Persian Book Lecture Series. Free and Open to the Public. Please allow time to clear security.
Location: African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room, LJ-220, 2nd floor, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street SE, Washington, DC 20540. Metro stop: Capitol South.
Contact: Hirad Dinavari, (202) 707-4518, [email protected]
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 (Voice/TTY) or email [email protected]

Thursday, October 19, 2017, 10 a.m. – noon
Symposium: History and Future of the Finnish Language

The Library of Congress European Division together with the Embassy of Finland invite you to celebrate 100 years of Finnish Independence at a Symposium on the “History and Future of the Finnish Language.” Coffee service to begin at 9:30 a.m. Opening remarks by the Ambassador of Finland, Kirsti Kauppi. Panelists include: Aili Flint, Senior Lecturer in Finnish, Emerita, Columbia University; Daniel Karvonen, Senior Lecturer, Finnish and Linguistics, University of Minnesota; and Hilary Virtanen, Assistant Professor of Finnish and Nordic Studies, Finlandia University.
Location: Whittall Pavilion, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building, 101 Independence Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20540. Metro stop: Capitol South.
Contact: Taru Spiegel at [email protected], 202-707-9814.
Please Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or [email protected].

Friday, October 20, 2017, 4 p.m.
Lecture: Journalist and Editor Flora Nikolla discussing: “The Albanian Press after Communism and The Albanian Diaspora and its Relationship to Albania

The European Division of the Library of Congress presents Journalist and Editor Flora Nikolla discussing: “The Albanian Press after Communism and The Albanian Diaspora and its Relationship to Albania.” Flora Nikolla is editor in chief of the Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), Albania’s main press agency. Her career with ATA has covered most of the years since 1993, working as an editor, journalist and scriptwriter for ATA’s magazines and on other projects, such as Spanish radio and the Albanian Film Festival. She is also involved with Albanian diasporas.
Location: West Dining Room, 6th Floor, Madison Building, 101 Independence Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20540. Metro stop: Capitol South.
Contact: Erika Spencer, [email protected], 202-707-4371
Please Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or [email protected].

Monday, October 30, 2017, noon – 1 p.m.
Lecture: Goodly Treasures New and Old: A Lecture on the Song of Songs
by Gary A. Rendsburg, Blanche and Irving Laurie Professor of Jewish History, Rutgers University

The Hebraic Section, African and Middle East Division of the Library of Congress presents “Goodly Treasures New and Old: A Lecture on the Song of Songs,” by Gary A. Rendsburg, Blanche and Irving Laurie Professor of Jewish History, Rutgers University. Following the talk there will be a Display of Rare Books (new and old!) from the collections of the Library of Congress.
Location: African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room, LJ-220, 2nd floor, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street SE, Washington, DC 20540. Metro stop: Capitol South.
Contact: Ann Brener, (202) 707-4186, [email protected]
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 (Voice/TTY) or email [email protected]