“Whodunnit? Shakespearean Murders and Detective Criticism” Presented by Acclaimed Author and Psychoanalyst

Pierre Bayard, acclaimed author and psychoanalyst, will present “Whodunnit? Shakespearean Murders and Detective Criticism” on Monday, Sept. 27 at 4:30 p.m., in the Boliou Hall Auditorium at Carleton College. Bayard’s lecture will be a provocative inquiry into some of the problematic murders in Shakespeare’s works, addressing them in a way that is accessible to anyone who has read (or seen) “Hamlet,” “MacBeth” or “Othello.” Bayard offers a unique view, using a blend of psychoanalytic and literary theory. Bayard’s appearance, followed by a booksigning and reception with light refreshments, is free and open to the public.

A professor of French literature at the University of Paris VIII, Bayard is a member of the French University Institute as well as a practicing psychoanalyst. Believing readers need to overcome their shame for not be able to tackle the avalanche of literature being published today, Bayard is the author of How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read (Bloomsbury, 2007), which became an instant bestseller in France after its debut, and has since been translated into 23 languages. Bayard has challenged the traditional understanding of what it means to read.

Bayard’s other popular titles include Who Killed Roger Ackroyd: TheMystery Behind the Agatha Christie Mystery (New Press, 2001) and Sherlock Holmes Was Wrong:Reopening the Case of the Hound of the Baskervilles (Bloomsbury USA, 2008), along with a dozen other titles dealing with reading and interpretation at the intersection of literature and psychoanalysis.

Bayard is the Fred W. and Margaret C. Schuster Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in Literature at Carleton College. His visit is sponsored by the Department of French & Francophone Studies and the Department of English, with additional support from the Humanities Center at Carleton and the Cultural Services of the Consulate General of France in Chicago.

Copies of How To Talk About Books You Haven’t Read are currently available at a 15% discount at the Carleton College Bookstore and will also be available for purchase at the event. For more information, contact the Carleton Bookstore at (507) 222-4153.

Located on the northern edge of the campus, Boliou Hall is accessible via Highway 19 in Northfield. For more information, including disability accommodations, contact the Department of French & Francophone Studies at (507) 222-4252.