For three days (October 3-5, 2008), the literary world flocked to New York for a festival that celebrates the arts and politics. There were debates, talks, workshops and various other events. For me, the festival started with a fiction night, entitled The American Dream, with Jeffrey Eugenides (F. is currently reading his Middlesex), T. Coraghessan Boyle and Jhumpa Lahiri. Curious times to have such a discussion, when so many of the things that America stands for are crumbling. However, there are timeless values, such as achievement or, paraphrasing Eugenides, the idea that destiny is not fixed, that each one of us can change our life. The drive of those that settle down in foreign lands is unique; an ambition that, as Jhumpa Lahiri pointed out, starts somewhere else and then overcomes any challenges. The fundamental freedoms and democracy became today more widely spread; nevertheless, the pursue of dreams is still in the underlying fabric of moving and migrating.
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