Conversation with Yiyun Li on her new novel Music Against the Night

Yiyun Li, Pulitzer Prize winner and Princeton Professor of Creative Writing, launches her new novel, Music Against the Night, a historical saga tracing the life of Irish composer and pianist John Field (1782–1837). Known as the inventor of the nocturne, Field is portrayed from his musical upbringing in Dublin to his success in Russia. The story follows his artistic development, personal struggles, and legacy. Li will read briefly from the novel and be in conversation with Princeton Professor of Music Donnacha M. Dennehy, and pianist Cristina Altamura will play a John Field nocturne and an early Chopin nocturne, composed when Chopin was seventeen and heavily influenced by Field. Cosponsored by Labyrinth Books.

Location: Taplin Auditorium in Fine Hall on the Princeton University campus, located on the second floor of Fine Hall: https://music.princeton.edu/resource-links/taplin-auditorium-fine-hall

Admission: Free and open to the public; tickets required at https://tickets.princeton.edu

Accessibility: The Taplin Auditorium is an accessible venue. Guests in need of access accommodations are invited to contact the Lewis Center at least one week in advance at LewisCenter@princeton.edu