Writers (Video)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes author Gurcharan Das for a discussion of his new book, “The Difficulty of Being Good.” Reflecting on his intellectual odyssey, Gurcharan Das elucidates his purpose in writing an extended commentary on the Indian epic, the Mahabharata. In the conversation, he also discusses the complex nature of the characters in the epic and the dilemmas posed by their failings and the constraints of the human condition. He concludes with a discussion of the lessons he learned for his own spiritual development and for understanding the moral dilemmas confronting modern societies. Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 20512]

George Packer, staff writer for “The New Yorker,” argues that President Obama’s policy on Afghanistan, and the war itself, show how difficult it is for the U.S. to send troops into combat without trying to change another country’s politics as well. He contends it makes success unlikely. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 20261]

Noted journalist and author James Fallows traces how the role of the Pacific Region has grown in international affairs in this address to the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at UC San Diego in honor of UCSD’s 50th anniversary. Series: "Writers" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 20009]

Noted journalist and author James Fallows traces how the role of the Pacific Region has grown in international affairs in this address to the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at UC San Diego in honor of UCSD’s 50th anniversary. Series: "Writers" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 20009]

Rabih Alameddine was born in Jordan to Lebanese parents and has lived in Kuwait, Lebanon, England, and the United States. He began his career as an engineer, then moved to writing and painting. He is the author of two novels as well as a collection of short stories, and is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. He lives in San Francisco and Beirut. He reads from his new novel “The Hakawati,” set in the Middle East. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 20017]

Rabih Alameddine was born in Jordan to Lebanese parents and has lived in Kuwait, Lebanon, England, and the United States. He began his career as an engineer, then moved to writing and painting. He is the author of two novels as well as a collection of short stories, and is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship. He lives in San Francisco and Beirut. He reads from his new novel “The Hakawati,” set in the Middle East. Series: "Story Hour in the Library" [Humanities] [Show ID: 20017]

Ethan Bronner discusses his perspective, as the Jerusalem Bureau Chief of The New York Times, on the Israel-Palestine Conflict; while insisting that he remains objective in spite of being Jewish and having a son in the Israeli Defense Forces. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 19387]

Ethan Bronner discusses his perspective, as the Jerusalem Bureau Chief of The New York Times, on the Israel-Palestine Conflict; while insisting that he remains objective in spite of being Jewish and having a son in the Israeli Defense Forces. Series: "Taubman Symposia in Jewish Studies" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 19387]

The student reading includes winners of the following prizes: Academy of American Poets, Cook, Rosenberg, and Yang, as well as students nominated by Berkeley’s creative writing faculty, Lunch Poems volunteers, and representatives from student publications. Series: "Lunch Poems Reading Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 17127]

The student reading includes winners of the following prizes: Academy of American Poets, Cook, Rosenberg, and Yang, as well as students nominated by Berkeley’s creative writing faculty, Lunch Poems volunteers, and representatives from student publications. Series: "Lunch Poems Reading Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 17127]