Paul Britten Austin, a poet and relative of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, will give two public lectures at Cornell on March 3, including one about his renowned brother-in-law.
In a lecture titled "The Bergman Background," at 4:30 p.m. in the Film Forum of the Center for Theatre Arts, Austin will discuss Bergman's family background and how his early experiences shaped his work, said Don Frederickson, associate professor of film and director of Cornell's undergraduate film studies program.
"Austin's proximity to the Bergman family enables him to shed light on Bergman's childhood, augmenting what Bergman has said in his autobiography The Magic Lantern," said Frederickson, who is writing a book about Bergman's 1966 film Persona.
"It's a rare opportunity to get a peek inside the family environment of a world-famous artist," he added.
Austin will give a second Cornell lecture titled "The Life and Songs of Carl Michael Bellman," about the work of this 18th-century Swedish songwriter, at 7:30 p.m. in Cornell's A.D. White House. The lecture will include recordings of Bellman compositions and will be followed by a student musical performance.
Austin's books include On Being Swedish and Life and Songs of Carl Michael Bellman. He has translated into English more than 100 Swedish books, plays and other works, including several Bergman films.
For more information, contact Lena Trancik, senior lecturer in Swedish, at 255-1156 or lgt2@cornell.edu .