October 20, 2004
Karen Armstrong
Opening the 2004-05 University of Louisville Kentucky Author Forum season will be Karen Armstrong, one of the leading religious thinkers of our era. The Armstrong appearance will also serve as a kickoff event for Cathedral Heritage Foundation's Festival of Faiths, which begins on November 7.
Armstrong's most recent publication is the Penguin Classics edition of BUDDHA, a compelling blend of religion, biography and philosophy, offering a examination of the relevance of Buddhism for our own times. Her other books include the New York Times bestsellers A History of God, Islam and The Spiral Staircase.
A former Roman Catholic nun, Armstrong teaches at Leo Baeck College for the Study of Judaism and received the 1999 Muslim Public Affairs Council Media Award. Since September 11, 2001, she has been a frequent contributor to conferences, panels, newspapers, periodicals, and through the media on both sides of the Atlantic on the subject of Islam. She lives in London.
For years Armstrong was tagged the "runaway nun," the rebellious ex-Catholic with outspoken opinions about religion. Her life in a British convent is 30 years behind her. She spent seven years in the Society of the Holy Child Jesus during the 1960s and later wrote a tell-all book, Through the Narrow Gate (St. Martin's Press, 1982) that bemoaned the restrictive life. (The frightened nuns did not know the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 had ended for several weeks; they were not allowed to inquire about the outside world.)
A more recent book, The Spiral Staircase: My Climb out of Darkness, tells of her spiritual journey after the convent and string of discouraging setbacks and fruitless dealings with psychiatrists. Finally, in 1976, she was diagnosed with epilepsy, given proper treatment, and released from her "private hell." Writing became her true calling and her own inner story and spiritual quest began to emerge.
Armstrong searched for the links that Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common. Three of her books—A History of God (Ballantine, 1993), Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths (Knopf, 1996) and The Battle for God (Knopf, 2000)--show what unites the faiths. Each, Armstrong writes, has developed the image of one Supreme Being who was first revealed to the prophet Abraham. All have historic links to Jerusalem. And more recently, each has built up a rigid conservative strain as a reaction against the modern world. Armstrong has received honors as a bridge builder who promotes understanding among the three faiths.
It was her first trip to Jerusalem in 1983 that piqued her interest in commonality among faiths. "I got back a sense of what faith is all about." At the time she was an atheist who was "wearied" by religion and "worn out by years of struggle." Born a Roman Catholic in the countryside near Birmingham, England, in 1945, she gave up on religion after her time in the convent. "I was suicidal," she said of life in her late 20s. "I didn't know how to live apart from that regimented way of life."
With an undergraduate degree in literature from Oxford University, she began teaching 19th and 20th century literature at the University of London and worked on a PhD. Three years later, her dissertation was rejected. Without it, she did not qualify to teach at the university level and took a job as head of the English department at a girls' school in London. Not long afterward, she was diagnosed with epilepsy. "After six years at the school I was asked to leave, but nicely," she said. "My early life is a complete catastrophe. It all worked out for the best."
She left the school in 1982 and began working on television documentaries. The story that took her to Jerusalem set her on a new career path and changed her earlier impressions about God. She went from atheist to "freelance monotheist" but has never returned to the Catholic Church or joined any other.
"It's inevitable that people turn to more than one religious tradition for inspiration," she said. "It's part of globalization." She recently read from the Buddhist canon of teachings for her next book. "Religion is like a raft," she said, explaining the Buddha's view of it. "Once you get across the river, moor the raft and go on. Don't lug it with you if you don't need it anymore." She knows that mode of travel: Leave one raft behind to pick up the next just ahead.
Buddha ("the awakened") was the title given to Siddhartha Gotama, the son of a Nepalese rajah. According to tradition, Gotama left a life of luxury at age 30 and devoted himself to years of contemplation and self-denial, finally reaching enlightenment while sitting beneath a tree. Henceforth known as Buddha, he spent his life teaching disciples about his beliefs (embodied in the Four Noble Truths) and the goal of achieving the enlightened state of Nirvana.
Armstrong's account of Buddha reveals him as both the archetypal religious icon and as a man who eschewed his noble caste in pursuit of peace in the midst of worldly suffering. Renouncing his family and the comforts of his home, he chose to don the robes of the homeless religious ascetics. By practicing rigorous meditation and self deprivation, Gotama experienced a profound spiritual transformation, shedding egotism and selfishness. She carefully ties the Buddha's time to our own and champions his spiritual discoveries with an understated dignity.
Robert Siegel, host of National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," will interview Armstrong at the forum. Siegel has worked with NPR for more than 20 years, delivering news and interviews with both a wry wit and precise attention to detail.
Event & Ticket Information
Kentucky Center for the Arts
5 Riverfront Plaza, Downtown Louisville
The evening's activities are as follows:
5 p.m. Carmichael's book sale and wine and cheese reception provided by Brown- Forman, Lobby
6 p.m. Interview with Karen Armstrong by NPR's Robert Siegel, Bomhard Theatre.
Live taping with WFPL 89.3 and KET, The Kentucky Network, and The Spoken Word, which will carry the audio version of the event to 39 public radio stations throughout the U.S. and 1.1 million listeners.
Master of Ceremonies is Forum Editor/Book Editor Keith Runyon of The Courier-Journal
7 p.m. Q & A followed by book signing on Bittners' stage set
A $16 ticket includes the above three events. A limited number of discounted tickets of $5 each are available for U of L students, faculty and staff at the KCA box office --U of L photo ID is required.
8:15 p.m. Dinner with the author, hosted by the University of Louisville President James Ramsey, in the Mary Anderson Room.
A $100 package ticket includes the above events plus dinner with Karen Armstrong and Robert Siegel. (Proceeds go to the nonprofit Kentucky Author Forum; $35 is tax-deductible.)
Tickets are available at The Kentucky Center, 502-584-7777 (1-800-775-7777).
Karen Armstrong will be the guest on "State of Affairs" on Oct. 20 to talk with host Julie Kredens from 1-2 p.m. Listeners can reach the program by calling 814-TALK (8255) or toll free: 1-877-814-TALK.
A taped version of the event will be made available at The Louisville Free Public Library, St. Matthews/Eline Branch, 3940 Grandview Ave., at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 22. There is no fee involved, but those interested must sign up in advance due to limited seating. Call the library directly at 574-1771 for further information.
WFPL 89.3 FM and Kentucky Educational Television (KET) will record the event for future broadcast, which will be distributed nationally to PBS affiliates nationwide, under the title: "Conversation with Karen Armstrong."
NOTE TO TV AND PRINT MEDIA: Access to a live feed to the event is available through KET. If interested, please contact Duncan Hart at 859-258-7296.
The Kentucky Author Forum series is produced by Mary Moss Greenebaum and sponsored by the University of Louisville, Brown-Forman and the Humana Foundation. Additional donors include: Bittners, Carmichael's Bookstore, The Courier-Journal, KET, WFPL/89.3 FM, The Spoken Word and the Kentucky Center.
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