The Foreign Mother Tongue: An Evening with Sayed Kashua

In his talk, "The Foreign Mother Tongue," Sayed Kashua will speak about his experience growing up and pursuing a journalistic and literary career as a Palestinian in Israel, operating largely in a Hebrew world that tolerates him but never manages to accept him with open arms.

Sayed Kashua is the author of three novels – Dancing Arabs, Let It Be Morning, and Second Person Singular – and winner of Israel's prestigious Bernstein Prize. Kashua also writes a satirical weekly column in Hebrew for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. In a humorous, tongue-in-cheek style, Kashua addresses the problems faced by Arabs in Israel, caught between two worlds. He is the writer and creator of the hit Israeli TV show Arab Labor (Avoda Aravit), now in its third season. In 2004 Kashua was awarded the Prime Minister's Prize in Literature. He is also the subject of the documentary Forever Scared. A review in The Economist calls the book

"a provocative and memorable novel … Mr. Kashua's pacy narrative keeps the story moving to a clever and blackly humorous climax."

Sponsored by the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation Chair and Dean of the College. 

Location on campus: Reisinger Auditorium