Cardiff BookTalk event: High Rise by J.G. Ballard, Monday 1st April 2019

Our second BookTalk event of 2019 will mark the 10^th anniversary of British author J. G. Ballard’s death, with an event on his iconic novel High Rise (1975). This event will bring together experts on contemporary literature, science fiction and urban design to discuss some of the key themes of this influential work. Speakers include:

• Professor Roger Luckhurst (Birkbeck) has published 10 books on topics ranging from telepathy, mummy curses and the history of science fiction to zombies and corridors (and zombies in corridors). His first book was a study of J. G. Ballard. He recently edited a collection of responses to the film adaptation of High-Rise (Ben Wheatley, 2015).
• Dr Aidan Tynan (Cardiff) is Lecturer in English literature, specializing in environmental literary and cultural studies. He has recently published work on Ballard’s 1966 science fiction novel The Crystal World. His forthcoming book is entitled The Desert in Modern Literature and Philosophy: Wasteland Aesthetics (Edinburgh University Press, 2020).
• Dr Günter Gassner (Cardiff) is a Lecturer in Urban Design (School of Geography and Planning) and an architect. His research and teaching interests lie at the intersection of critical theory and spatial practices. He specialises in questions about relationships between aesthetics and politics, history and power, and urban visions and visualisations.

The speakers will present and there will be plenty of opportunity for audience questions and discussion. To make the most of the session, you may like to read or re-read High Rise before the event. As usual, the main event will be preceded by a reception with tea, coffee and biscuits at 6.30pm.

Please note a change of venue: this event will take place in Cardiff University’s Glamorgan Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3WA.
All welcome! Book your free tickets via Eventbrite by clicking here.

Picture credit: Mike Bonsall http://fentonville.co.uk/digital-ballard/