Roundtable discussion around the themes of expatriation and immersion in a new culture
The Event:
After Laura presents her book, a panel of guests from different backgrounds and origins, all of whom have some link with Switzerland, will join in a discussion of the themes addressed in "Rue Centrale ", such as what is meant by the terms European, multicultural and “melting pot”. The discussion will be followed by an apero with drinks and appetizers.
About the book & author:
Laura’s third book, “Rue Centrale” is the “portrait of a European city [Lausanne] painted in the words of the people who live and work there. Interviews with 68 people encountered in the street, in their bedroom, on a barge or in the belfry of the cathedral, who talk about their hopes, their fears and their day-to-day lives. Bankers, prostitutes, illegal immigrants, pillars of the community… word by word, from the grassroots up, they build a city in Europe at the beginning of the 21st century.” (Editions L’Age d’Homme)
“Rue Centrale” (available in French and English) is Laura’s answer to Studs Terkel’s bestselling portrait of an American city, Chicago, in the 1960s – “Division Street: America”. It goes right to the heart of the question, what does it mean to be European at the beginning of the 21st century? Where does anyone belong in this urbanized, globalized world? Ranging from Switzerland to America, from one melting pott to another, the debate will address integration, immersion, right down to just dipping your toe in. Let’s talk about history too. How should it be written? Just by the victors, the Big Men, or should we all have our say?
A novelist and science journalist (Nature, National Geographic, The Economist), Laura Spinney grew up in London and moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2009, following her scientist husband. An ardent admirer of Studs Terkel, and a little hurt by the “froideur” of her new compatriots, she set out with her tape recorder to persuade them to talk to her. Many of them said no, and who can blame them, but a few said yes – and “Rue Centrale” is the result.
