love for reading.
Photo courtesy of Roger Coda
ALEXANDRIA SMITH
Special to The Leader
She found the connections between myths and reality, traveled the world and has hosted a number of events. All the while, she was and remains a literature professor here at Fredonia. This adventurous life belongs to Dr. Iclal Vanwesenbeeck.
Life, for her, began with a fantastical setting, living close to the ancient Hellenic ruins.
“My mom worked in a school sandwiched between the Jewish elementary school and the ruins of a Greek Agora,” she said. “I think imagining the ancient world occupied my mind as a kid, and it still does, and my love for the Mediterranean world kindles that scholarly fire.”
Her family also owns a vineyard and an olive grove, and according to Vanwesenbeeck, “Add a few goats and you have the Virgilian pastoral.”
At around the age of 13, she began to read the works of Sartre, Camus, Kafka and Montaigne.
“They made literature relevant to my life,” she said. “I think, more than love, I realized I needed literature.”
Vanwesenbeeck later achieved a bachelor’s degree in western languages with their respective literatures and a doctoral degree in comparative literature.
Even though traveling seems to be a hobby for her, Vanwesenbeeck has a variety of reasons why she has been all over the world.
“My family and friends are scattered around the world,” she said. “I do research on things that are abroad, I collaborate with people who live in different countries and to places I am curious about.”
Speaking of traveling, and teaching, Vanwesenbeeck takes students to Iceland. In fact, there’s a trip coming up soon. From these two things came incredible and treasured memories it seems.
“I think because I am about to teach my Iceland course again, I’d say being on a glacier with my students is a unique experience. Hugging newly born Icelandic lambs is also up there with glaciers,” she said with a smile. “One time, I got lost in catacombs in Malta and saw light of day again thanks to a film crew. I went to Djerba, allegedly the island of Lotus Eaters in Homer’s Odyssey, and had a heat stroke and almost forgot everything, too.”
Other interests of Vanwesenbeeck’s are music and farming.
“I don’t own a farm but I think I might some day . . . Of course in [Western New York] my farming life is limited to tomatoes and green vegetables, but who knows what the future holds.”
The advice she was willing to give demonstrated not only the breadth of life experience that she has but also the passion she has for her students.
“Find a way to be optimistic and happy,” she said. I think without optimism, it is hard to do the work you need to do in life, or commit to yourself and to the world around you.”