Dorot Jewish Division Lecture at The New York Public Library to Focus on Life & Times of Emma Lazarus, Poet Radical of the 19th Century

What:         "In the Shadow of Liberty"

Event Description:          Emma Lazarus (1849-1887) is best remembered for her poem 'The New Colossus," composed in tribute to the Statue of Liberty. The poem, whose famous lines include "Give me your tired, your poor / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free ," is memorialized at the Statue's base. But as John Hollander and Esther Schor will reveal in a unique panel discussion at The New York Public Library, Lazarus's life was marked by a multitude of literary accomplishments often eclipsed by this one poem. The first self-consciously Jewish American writer, she translated French and Spanish poetry as a teen, forged friendships with literary giants like Emerson and Browning, and became a fierce defender of Judaism and of the rights of immigrants. The lecture will help restore Lazarus' place in the pantheon of great nineteenth century poets.

Who:          Professor John Hollander, Sterling Professor Emeritus of English at Yale, editor of
                  Emma Lazarus: Selected Poems (The Library of America)

                  Poet Esther Schor, Professor of English at Princeton

When:        Tuesday, May 17, 2005
                  7:00 PM

Where:       The South Court Auditorium
                  The Humanities and Social Sciences Library
                  Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street

Ticket information:    $10 general admission ($7 for Library donor groups)
                                 Call (212) 868-4444 for tickets
                                 www.smarttix.com

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Press contact: Tim Farrell, (212) 704-8600