Europe expert to give lecture at Baker Institute

Europe expert to give lecture at Baker Institute

BY FRANZ BROTZEN
Rice News Staff

Neal Ascherson, a journalist and author, will speak at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy Feb. 5 on illusions and visions of what Europe was and may become.

NEAL ASCHERSON

The lecture, titled “Europe: Heir to the Ages or Pregnant Widow?” will begin at 6 p.m.

Ascherson is an expert on Central and Eastern Europe, where he lived for decades, specializing in Polish affairs but also covering developments in other countries of the region. He has written two books on Poland, “The Polish August” (1981) and “Struggles for Poland” (1987).

Ascherson’s more recent books are “Black Sea” (1995 — revised in 2007) and “Stones of Voices: The Search for Scotland” (2004).

Ascherson was born in Edinburgh and educated at King’s College, Cambridge. He has spent most of his life as a foreign correspondent for British newspapers, including The Observer and The Independent on Sunday. He is also a regular contributor to the London Review of Books.

The lecture is made possible by the Baker Institute, the Department of German and Slavic Studies and private sponsors.

The lecture will be held in James A. Baker III Hall’s Kelly International Conference Facility.