American Author, Pauls Toutonghi, Shares Stories With Latvian Audiences

During a week-long a series of events, author Pauls Toutonghi spoke to writers, students, and academics, and read from his novel “Red Weather”. Toutonghi, a professor of English at Lewis and Clark College, shared insights into the process of writing a novel.

In a lecture delivered to translation students at Ventspils University College, Toutonghi read from both the original English version as well as the Latvian translation of his novel, “Red Weather”. The novel tells the story of a Latvian immigrant family living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1989. While not autobiographical, the novel draws heavily on Toutonghi’s experiences as the son of Latvian-Egyptian immigrants. He told the students about the process and challenges of having a work translated. Several of the students had read the novel prior to the presentation and asked probing questions about the author’s motivation and his personal background.

A discussion with a high-school audience at the International School of Latvia focused largely on the coming-of-age aspects of the book. Later in the week, foreign language students of the University of Latvia learned about story telling techniques, trends in American literature, and Toutonghi’s teaching experience at Lewis and Clark College.

During a reception and discussion with members of the literary community, Toutonghi spoke about the publishing industry in the United States. Participants in the discussion shared their experiences in writing and translating.

The author was also interviewed by 2 newspapers, and 2 radio stations. In an interview with Radio NABA, Toutonghi and the program’s host read excerpts of his work in both English and Latvian.

At each of the stops, Toutonghi was asked about his next book. He is currently working on a story about an Egyptian family in the United States.

U.S. Embassy, Riga, Public Affairs Section
Smilšu iela 7
Rīga, LV 1050
Phone: 371 750-9022
Internet: riga.usembassy.gov
Media specialist's e-mail: dilanes@state.gov lubinad@state.gov