Yale University Professor to speak on Dante and Islam at the DiMenna-Nyselius Library at Fairfield University | Press Releases

Fairfield University will present "A Conversation with María Rosa Menocal on Dante and Islam," on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 4:30 p.m. in the Multimedia Room of the DiMenna-Nyselius Library. Dr. Menocal is the R. Selden Professor of Spanish and Portuguese and Director of the Whitney Humanities Institute at Yale University. Her lecture is free and open to the public.

The author of several critically acclaimed scholarly works, Dr. Menocal's most recent book is "The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain" (Little, Brown & Company, 2002). Among Dr Menocal's other works is "Dante's Cult of Truth: From Borges to Boccaccio" (Duke University Press, 1991). Dr. Menocal received her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979.

Dr. Menocal's discussion on Dante and Islam "will illuminate the Arabic influences on the literature and philosophy of the Middle Ages, a critical, yet often overlooked, aspect of medieval culture," said Mary Ann Carolan, Ph.D., director of the Italian Studies Program at Fairfield University and associate professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. Dr. Menocal's lecture is being held in conjunction with a seminar Dr. Carolan is running this semester on Dante.

The lecture is sponsored by the Humanities Institute of the College of Arts and Sciences at Fairfield University, the Italian Studies Program, and the Ignatian Residential College.