Randy Boyagoda: Lords of Serendipity
About this Event
In conversation with Ira Wells, President of PEN Canada.
Devi is a Sri Lankan village girl who dreams of going to Harvard. Katrina is a middle-class American girl whose life has been designed to get her into an elite liberal arts college. Devi’s father cleans toilets in a five-star hotel to pay for his daughter’s Indian tutor, who might not be the Oxford student he claims to be on WhatsApp. Katrina’s father teaches extra courses at a mediocre technical university to pay for his daughter’s academic lifestyle experiences. Meanwhile, his tech-bro TA expertly extorts money from international students worried about flunking and getting deported.
Set between contemporary Sri Lanka and the United States, is a wry, moving, and sharply observed story about how rich and poor alike try to get ahead by going to university. It’s about dreams and ambition meeting corruption and hypocrisy. It’s about what parents are willing to do for their children, and about what strivers and hustlers are willing to do when they meet gatekeepers.
"Randy Boyagoda delightfully skewers the industrial-academic complex but also creates moving characters who seem to have walked in from the dorm and faculty meeting next door. The result is as moving as it is hysterically funny.” - Gary Shteyngart, New York Times Bestselling author of Vera, or Faith
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Presented in partnership with HarperCollins Canada.
Audience Q&A and book signing to follow.
Books will be available to purchase onsite from Words Worth Books.
About the Author
RANDY BOYAGODA is a novelist who writes about books and ideas for publications including The Atlantic, The New York Times, and the Financial Times. He is the author of six books, including the novels , , and . Randy's work has been nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize, and named a Globe and Mail Best Book of the year. He is a professor of English at the University of Toronto.
About the Moderator
IRA WELLS is a critic, essayist, and associate professor at Victoria College in the University of Toronto, where he serves as Academic Programs Director and teaches in the Northrop Frye stream in literature and the humanities in the Vic One Program. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Globe and Mail, Guardian, The New Republic, and many other venues. His most recent book is .
Ticket Policy
Reminder! We oversell these events to make sure that the most people have an opportunity to attend. Tickets are only guaranteed until 15 minutes before the show starts, at which point we will start opening up available spots to the rush line.
Accessibility at Kitchener Public Library
Kitchener Public Library has assistive listening devices available for library program participants who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Please call or email us if you would like more information on this equipment, or to request to use it in this program. Please let us know as far in advance as possible and we will do our best to meet your request. Phone 519-743-0271 or email [email protected].
This program is made possible through the support of the City of Kitchener.
Agenda
🕑: 06:30 PM
Doors Open
🕑: 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Main Event: Randy Boyagoda in conversation with Ira Wells
Host: Randy Boyagoda
Info: Randy Boyagoda discusses his latest novel, Lords of Serendipity with host Ira Wells, followed by audience Q&A.
🕑: 08:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Book Signing
Info: Randy Boyagoda will sign copies of his latest book. Books will be available for purchase onsite from Words Worth Books.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
