The 2007 CBC Massey Lectures, "The City of Words"

The end of ethnic nationalism, building societies around sets of common values, seems like a good idea. But something is going wrong.

In the 2007 Massey Lectures, writer Alberto Manguel takes a fresh look at some of the problems we face, and suggests we should look at what stories have to teach us about society.

"How do stories help us perceive ourselves and others?" he asks. "How can stories lend a whole society an identity...?"

From Gilgamesh to the Bible, from Don Quixote to The Fast Runner, Alberto Manguel explores how books and stories hold the secret keys to what binds us together.

Internationally acclaimed as an anthologist, translator, essayist, novelist, and editor, Alberto Manguel is the bestselling author of several award-winning books, including A Dictionary of Imaginary Places and A History of Reading.

He was born in Buenos Aires, moved to Toronto, Canada, in 1982 (where he lived for 20 years), and now lives in France, where he was named an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters. Among other awards and honours, he is also a Guggenheim Fellow.

The City of Words is published by House of Anansi Press.

Listen

Ideas53:59The City of Words - Part 5

The 2007 CBC Massey Lectures by Alberto Manguel |

Listen to other CBC Massey Lectures