The place of literature in the 21st century: a conversation with William Marx and Pascal Quignard
Two of France’s foremost men of letters will be discussing the past, present and future of literature. Followed by book signing and reception.
College of Arts School of Modern Languages and Cultures Stirling Maxwell Centre
Date: Thursday 24 September 2026
Time: 17:00 - 19:00
Venue: Humanity Lecture Theatre
Category: Public lectures, Hunterian
Speaker: Pascal Quignard and William Marx
Document: Stirling Maxwell Centre Seminar Series - Spring 2026
Pascal Quignard, winner of the Prix Goncourt, joins poetry with philosophy in prose forms that surprise and challenge the reader, as is the case in Happy the Hours, his latest volume to appear in English translation (Hermits United). A recurring theme in Quignard’s work is music, the subject of his best-selling Tous les matins du monde.
William Marx, Chair in Comparative Literature at the Collège de France, broaches a formidable range of subjects and approaches in his quest for an understanding of literature. A Scholar’s Life, Marx’s erudite, elegantly written masterpiece that won the Prix Montyon de l’Académie Française, has recently been published in English translation (Hermits United).
A joint seminar of the Stirling Maxwell Centre and the Centre for Comparative Literature and Translation (University of Glasgow), with the generous support of the authors' publisher, Hermits United.
The Seminar takes place in the historic Humanity Lecture Theatre, followed by a wine reception in the Hunterian Museum (18:00).
For accessibility information regarding the Humanity Lecture Theatre, see https://www.accessable.co.uk/university-of-glasgow/access-guides/room-255-humanity-lecture-theatre.
For accessibility information regarding the Hunterian Museum, see https://www.accessable.co.uk/university-of-glasgow/access-guides/the-hunterian-museum.