Immigration is a Lonely Journey in Search of One's Identity

The following is a rough summary of an article written by reporter Kyung Sup Kim which appeared in the Korea Times on May 4, 2019. Please click HERE for an image of the original article.

On May 1, under the sponsorship of AIISF, A Conversation about Diasporic Literature between Professors Chang-rae Lee and Eavan Boland was held at the Stanford Humanities Center.

With Rosemarie Nahm, a Korean American board member of AIISF moderating, the two professors infused a lot of their personal experiences in their conversation on diasporic literature.  The two professors agreed that even though the U.S. is a country of immigrants, in reality, immigrants in the U.S. experience great hardship and lead lonely lives.      

Chang-rae Lee, who immigrated to the U.S. with his parents at the age of 3, reflected on the emotional toll on his parents' lives as immigrants.  His parents, especially his mother, always lived with the discomfort that comes with language barriers and the sense of alienation from mainstream American society.  

Eavan Boland moved to London, England at the age of 6 with her diplomat father.  She returned to Ireland where, upon graduating from college, she pursued a career as a poet and professor.  Since 1996, she has been an English professor at Stanford. 

Levinthal Hall where the event took place was filled with over 100 students and community members in attendance.