The Denison University Beck Lecture Series will host travel writer Eric Hansen to give a lecture/reading at 8 p.m. on Monday (Feb. 7) in the Barney Davis Board Room. This event is free and open to the public.

Hansen is author of several acclaimed books includingStranger in the Forest, Motoring with MohammedandOrchid Fever. He has been called "One of the most original travel writers working today," by Kirkus Reviews and the New York Times Book Review described Stranger in the Forest as "a gracefully written and passionate book." Last fall,The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer, a 25-year collection of travel memories, was published by Pantheon Books.

Hansen has worked as a barber in Mother Teresa's Home for the Destitute and Dying in Calcutta, India, professional fisherman and wild dog hunter. He was once shipwrecked for two weeks on an uninhabited desert island in the Red Sea and has been imprisoned in Israel, Yemen and northern Afghanistan for traveling into restricted areas without authorization.

Stranger in the Forestwas awarded the French literary prize 'Le Grande Prix de Voyage' and selected by the American Library Association as one of the top 10 non-fiction books of 1988. The book was also listed as the 'Editor's Choice' in both the New York Times Book Review and the Book of the Month Club. The National Geographic Society namedStranger in the Forestone of the best literary adventure books ever written and "a masterpiece of the genre."

Hansen is a graduate of the University of California at Berkley and has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and Asia over the past 25 years. He has lectured at the Smithsonian about the Borneo rainforest and his articles and reviews have appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Outside Magazine, Travel and Leisure, Details, Men's Journal, Natural History Magazine, Islands Magazine, German and Australian GEO, Amica and Interview. Hansen has appeared on CNN, 60 Minutes, BBC, National Public Radio, 'Fresh Air' with Terry Grosse, Sand Francisco's KQED 'Forum' with Michael Krasney and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The Beck Lecture Series was endowed in memory of Harriet Ewens Beck to bring outstanding writers to the Denison campus. The series has hosted such writers as Eudora Welty, Alice Walker, Tom Stoppard and W. S. Merwin. Under the sponsorship of the fund, 10 to 12 writers read from their works and participate in master classes each year.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- The Harriet Ewens Beck Fund presents travel writer Eric Hansen to give a lecture/reading; 8 p.m., Monday (Feb. 7), Barney Davis Board Room. Free and open to the public. Call (740) 587-6207 to confirm information.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

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Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575