I am delighted to share with you details of my forthcoming event at De La Salle University, Manila, hosted by the Department of Literature, and Master of Ceremonies, Dr. Jeremy de Chavez.
The Department of Literature De La Salle University
A Reading and Conversation with British-Pakistani Author Qaisra Shahraz, Fellow, Royal Society of the Arts & Critically Acclaimed Novelist and Scriptwriter
26 October 2015 (Monday)
2:30 – 4:00 PM
EDC, 13th Floor
Henry Sy, Sr. Hall
Born in Pakistan, Qaisra Shahraz has lived in Manchester (UK) since childhood, and gained two Masters Degrees in English, European literature, and scriptwriting. Being a highly successful and achieving woman on an international scale, Qaisra was recognised as being one of 100 Influential Pakistani Women in the Pakistan Power 100 List (2012). Previously, she was nominated for the Asian Women of Achievement Awards, and for the Muslim News Awards for Excellence.
Her novels, The Holy Woman, and Typhoon, are translated into several languages. The Holy Woman (2001) won the Golden Jubilee Award, was the Best Book of the Month for Waterstones, and has become a best-seller in Indonesia and Turkey. She has appeared at many international writers’ festivals and book fairs, including Abu Dhabi, Jaipur, and Beijing. Her award-winning drama serial, Dil Hee To Hai, was broadcast on Pakistani television in 2003. Qaisra has recently completed a third novel, Revolt, in addition to two volumes of short stories (A Pair of Jeans & Other Stories, and Train to Krakow), and is now working on her fourth novel, The Henna Painter. Several of her prize-winning short stories are published in the UK and abroad, and selected works are studied in schools and universities. A critical analysis of her works has been produced in a book entitled The Holy and the Unholy: Critical Essays on Qaisra Shahraz’s Fiction (2011). Qaisra Shahraz has another successful career in education, as a consultant, teacher trainer and inspector.
PROGRAMME
Introduction to the Speaker Dr. Jeremy De Chavez
Vice Chair, Department of Literature
Reading
Qaisra Shahraz
Fellow, Royal Society of the Arts
Critically Acclaimed Novelist and Scriptwriter
Interview Qaisra Shahraz
with
Prof. Vicente Groyon and
Dr. Genevieve Asenjo
Closing Remarks Dr. Elenita Garcia
Director, Research and Advanced Studies
College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Jeremy De Chavez
Master of Ceremonies
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The history and development of this university is fascinating and important within the Christian and private educational system of Manila, and I am proud to be a visiting guest of honour.
HISTORY OF DE LA SALLE COLLEGE, MANILA
De La Salle College was founded in 1911 when the Brothers of the Christian Schools opened their first school in the Philippines on General Luna Street in the historic city of Manila.
During the Second World War, the College grounds were seized by the Japanese occupation forces and made into defense quarters. Classes continued during the war years, but academics suffered from a greatly reduced curriculum. On February 12, 1945, a band of Japanese soldiers massacred 16 Brothers and several families who had taken refuge with them in the College Chapel. Home from concentration camps at the end of the war, the Brothers resumed classes in July 1945, despite a lack of manpower and facilities.
The events of the 1970s have been crucial to the development of De La Salle as a social institution. In 1973, the College recognized the need for Catholic women’s education and opened its doors to female students. The greatest step forward taken by the school in this decade was the change of status from a College to a University in 1975, and this was as a result of the outstanding academic and professional contributions the school had made to Philippine private education.
Today, the University believes that Christian men and women will provide needed leadership in the development of the Philippines, and the school seeks to develop this leadership quality in its students through a liberal education, and a concern for the country’s social and economic problems.