Elizabeth Swados - The 92nd Street Y, New York

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92NY Humanities Audio Collection

The Jewish Literary Exchange

Elizabeth Swados

Feb 12, 2003


Dr. Margot Krebs speaks with novelist, composer, playwright, and director Elizabeth Swados about her novel Flamboyánt (1998). This event is part of the Jewish Literary Exchange discussion series. Flamboyánt tells the story of Chana Landau, an Orthodox Jewish woman who begins teaching at a high school for LGBT students. While teaching and dealing with opposition from her religious community, she forms a friendship with a transgender student named Flamboyánt. In this discussion, Swados discusses the complexities of Chana and Flamboyánt’s relationship. She explains that the aim of her work was not to raise a particular moral question, but instead wanted to help “the characters come to terms with they are.” The discussion is followed by questions from the audience.

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