Barbara Mujica, author of the acclaimed historical novels "Frida" and "Sister Teresa," will read from her latest work, "I Am Venus," at 7 p.m., Thursday, March 13, at Fairfield University Bookstore, 1499 Post Road, Fairfield. Part of The Inspired Writer, the distinguished author series of the University's MFA in Creative Writing Program, the event is free and open to the public.

In her latest novel, Mujica turns her eye to 17th-century Spain and the court of King Phillip IV, chronicling the relationship between Baroque Spanish painter Diego Velázquez and the woman who became his Venus. She vividly reimagines the great artist's rise to prominence, set against the backdrop of political turmoil and romantic scandal. Narrated by the mysterious model who posed for Velázquez' only female nude, "The Rokeby of Venus," "I Am Venus" is a seductive historical novel of the love between an artist and his muse.

Early reviews have praised the book. "Mujica's prose is vigorous and intense, and the story is paradoxically both dark and illuminating," according to Kirkus Reviews.

Mujica is a novelist, short-story writer, critic and professor at Georgetown University. Twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, she has won numerous awards. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times , The Washington Post and other newspapers. She lives in Maryland.

"Barbara Mujica, a longtime colleague and friend from my Georgetown days, is that rare phenomenon: a consummate artist who is also a superb scholar," said University President Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J. "Her novels are informed by her deep knowledge of Golden Age Spain and the literature and art it produced. They are also imbued with an appreciation of the spiritual depths of the saints and sinners and great artists of that extraordinary epoch."

For more information on this event, contact Elizabeth Hastings, ehastings@fairfield.edu or (203) 254-4000, ext. 2688.

Posted On: 02-21-2014 11:02 AM

Volume: 46 Number: 179