All You Need is a Good Book

The Literary Society had its first book discussion event on Tuesday, November 6th, in the Balkanski Academic Center. All 12 people who attended the closed event, along with Professor Filitsa Mullen, had to engage in a discussion on Oscar Wilde’s novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. The choice of the read was made earlier in the semester, giving people enough time to read the book. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde tells the story of a young man who sells his soul for perpetual youth and of his attempt to reconcile with his conscience reflected on his portrait. When it was first published, the book was viewed as immoral and scandalous, receiving numerous negative criticisms. The students who attended the event brought into discussion some of the aspects of the book and some particularities of the main characters. They talked about corruption, innocence and intellectual maturity while enjoying glasses of wine and cups of tea. Mariela Hristova and Sarah Abbott were the Literary Society members responsible for the organization of the book discussion event. “Almost everyone has read the book which is really nice and we had a professor, so I think it went pretty well for a first meeting,” said Hristova when asked if the people who showed up were prepared for the discussion. The next book discussion event is scheduled to take place on November 29th.