Travel writers come in generations. Early travelers leaving philosophical writings include the Buddha and Lao Tzu. Marco Polo left more detailed descriptions of unknown veracity later inspiring Calvino's Invisible Cities. The great English travelers were intimately tied to empire building. Pico Iyer followed writers like returned Peace Corps volunteer Paul Theroux, who never returned, and Bruce Chatwin, who abandoned his career at Sothebys to head out on the road. Iyer has immersed himself in the hybrid culture of developing countries, attempting to tell the story of the lives of their postmodern residents. Iyer has also developed a friendship with the Dalai Lama, a fellow global itinerant, and that is the subject of The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, from which he reads tonight.
Iyer met the Dalai Lama through his father and has maintained his friendship for 30 years. This relationship has allowed Iyer to tell the story of a man in all his complexity, not just the story of a great spiritual leader.
At Powell's Burnside 7:30PM Free
The contemporary art world is global. Young-hae Chang Heavy Industries. Principals Marc Voge and Young-Hae Chang produce Flash art from their base in Seoul, much in the manner of some work at Born Magazine. Lucky for you, the work of Young-hae Chang Heavy Industries is available to you over the Internet. But you can see them in person at the PSU lecture series. At the PSU 5th Ave Cinemas 510 SW Hall Room 92 7:30PM Free
