THF Talk Series #2
The Himalaya as a Source of Inspiration
A lecture by Stephen Alter
Thursday, 22 February
6 PM | On Zoom
Please register via the link here.
As a writer of fiction and non-fiction, Stephen Alter has focused much of his attention on the Himalayan region where he was born and raised, and where he continues to live and write in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand. He will discuss the many ways in which Himalayan landscapes and the biodiversity they support can serve as an inspiration for creative expression in different genres. He will explore the intersection of mythology, folklore, and scientific narratives that often coincide to provide multi-layered perceptions of mountains, valleys, and rivers.
All of this will be discussed in the context of ecological degradation and environmental crises, including the effects of climate change.
Bio:
Stephen Alter is the author of more than 20 books of fiction and non-fiction. His recent novel, Birdwatching, received the 2023 Green Book of the Year Award at the Green Literature Festival, Bengaluru. Wild Himalaya: A Natural History of the Greatest Mountain Range on Earth (Aleph 2019) received the 2020 Banff Mountain Book Award in the Mountain Environment and Natural History category and the 2021 Kekoo Naoroji Award for Himalayan Literature. Educated at Woodstock School and Wesleyan University, Alter has taught at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, where he was director of the writing program for seven years. Following this, he was a writer-in-residence at MIT for ten years. Among the honors he has received are fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Fulbright Program, the East-West Centre in Hawaii, and the Banff Centre for Mountain Culture. His latest non-fiction book is The Cobra’s Gaze: Exploring India’s Wild Heritage.