Author Eugene Yelchin to Discuss Censorship and Free Thought in Communist Russia March 10 at Western
Author Eugene Yelchin will discuss growing up in the Soviet Union in a lecture titled "In the Forest of Raised Hands – How Reading in a Police State Saved My Life" from 4-5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10 in Special Collections, Wilson Library 6th Floor, on the Western Washington University campus.
The event is free and open to the public.
The total state control in the former Soviet Union prevented its citizens from exercising personal and intellectual freedom, and any dissent was severely punished. Russian-born author and illustrator Eugene Yelchin will present a talk about his personal experience of growing up under this oppressive regime and the role books banned by state censorship played in his eventual liberation.
Yelchin’s novel, “Breaking Stalin’s Nose,” received a Newbery Honor and was translated into nine languages. His latest novel, “Arcady’s Goal,” is the New York Times Book Review 2014 Notable Book for Children. His picture books have received many awards, including National Jewish Book Award and Tomie DePaola Award, and were included in The Best Books of the Year lists.
Yelchin’s lecture is presented in association with WhatcomReads! For more information about this event, contact Sylvia Tag at Sylvia.Tag@wwu.edu or (360) 650-7992.