Beyond the backdrop

Fiction writers and novelists often use the city as a microcosm of society. They are not only the stage where the interaction between characters take place, but a reflection of those characters. The cities in literature, real or fictitious, then demonstrate how individual lives and experiences intersect, clash, and form a larger collective consciousness within the urban environment. Through their narratives, they explore how people's actions and decisions can impact others, leading to a sense of shared destiny or communal awareness. The session will open with a book reading followed by a conversation between the author and an architect. The discussion will be around the role of real and fictitious cities in literature.