Library-Utopia

Ladies and Gentlemen: It is known that European modernity is preceded by a revolution in Christian theology that was brought about by Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century. A Franciscan monk from an aristocratic family of southern Italy, Aquinas argued in favour of the convergence of faith and reason. :!"#"$% & !'()"* !% +,-".% & /(* 01234 5"267' 8/ 9*:;)' ")"<= 0>"?&8' @ABC2)8D4 @ABE24-AF2? BG HI' BC3)'/ 0)'D)"J -' BCI"J+* & 01234 9K='8 BG L"4(M .@/:24 N=/O2I @APDI 8/ Q#D$ L"4(M ./+GA04 R"S/ T;UM & !"<#' D)(2? 58&+V -' W/(* "27"C#' X(EY 8/ 5'+G(C3#8% The emergence of reason in the theological discourse indicates the influence of Aristotle who was forgotten in Europe for one thousand years. Europe owes the rediscovery of classical Greek philosophy primarily to the philosophers of the “Golden Age of Islamic philosophy”: Al-Farabi, Avicenna, and Averroes. B* "?&8' 8/ Z"I 8'O= BG HI' ([I8' @AB\3]S ^(\) +_)"`) 5"267' !"<C\, 8/ 0>'+,/+J 8(6a -' F2* "?&8' '8 !")(# b2I:G B\3]S c`G WN2)'/A04 BG B)(,A!"<= ./(* PDd P/+eI 0d(4'+S .Dd8 f*' & W"E2I f*' W9*'8"S :/(* «04:I' @AB\3]S 0>:g !'8&/» h(3]2S BI !(#D4 O2i += During the 8th and 9th centuries, major classical Greek books, transferred from the Byzantine Empire libraries to Baghdad, were translated into Arabic. Then, in the 12th and 13th centuries, when armies of Christian states conquered the Islamic territories in Spain and Sicily, European scholars translated Arabic translations of Greek works into Latin. B* & T;CE4 /'Dj* B* Q)'O2* @8(M'+e4' -' 0)")(# @ABC3Y+* 8"k% @/:24 N6) & NC`= @"=APDI 8/ W01234 @"=8(`G !"2="eI BG 04"_E= P/O2I & P/-'&/ @"=APDI 8/ QeI .D)Dd B<Y+M 9*+l b2I:G 8"k% 0>"?&8' !"<7"l WD)/'/ H3md T232I & "2)"eI' Q7D)' 8/ '8 04:I' @8(M'+e4' .D)/+G B<Y+M f2Mn B* 9*+l -' '8 !")(# About the same period, during the Fourth Crusade, western Europeans invaded Constantinople, the capital of Eastern Roman Empire, and from the library of Constantinople, they brought back a number of the original Greek texts preserved by the Byzantine Empire. Later, in 1453, the fall of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottoman Turks brought many other Greek scholars to today’s Italy and beyond. These scholars brought with them Greek manuscripts and knowledge of the classical Greek literature. 0$+d op8 @8(M'+e4' HqC#"? B2E[E[3$ 9*+. !"2>"?&8' Wo8"6i 9K2]r sEY 8/ W!"4- !"<= 8/ @"?&8' B* '8 0)")(# 8"k% Q)'O2* @8(M'+e4' @"=AB)"q*"CG -' & D)/8&%8/ h+tM B* '8 Q)'O2* "# 0)"<yl !"G+M h+tM B* Q)'O2* @8(M'+e4' BG 04"_E= Wuvwx Z"I 8/ W+MAQeI .D)/+* 9*+. X+. B* '8 @+z#/ 8"k% /(J "* & D)/+G 5+Y"64 +z#/ @"=8(`G & "27"C#' B* 03)'O2* !"<7"l WD4%8/ .D)/8&% Renaissance, the cultural, intellectual, artistic, and political movement that launched modern Europe out of the stagnation of medieval Europe is a result of the movement of books… these ultimate migrants. Once they settle in the library that houses them, migrant books enlighten and enrich the culture of their hostland. Books are indeed mysterious migrant creatures that arrive with unpredictable future impacts. !'8&/ 8/ /(G8 "=APDI -' '8 "?&8' BG WQ)"3)8 "# 0I"2I & AW@+E= W@+{S W0_E=+S 0>'-() !'8&/ f | #+MABC3Y+* X"CG ./8'/ "=AX"CG f#' 5+Y"64 8/ B`#8 O2i += -' F2* W/+G /'-% "[I& !&+$ & !/+GA0E. D)&8 W/(dA04 AB)"q*"CG 8/ }D#DY @AB)"J -' 0`q* X"CG BG P"_)% .HI' !'+Y"64 HI' @O24%-'8 +Y"64 /(Y(4 X"CG BG 0CI'8 B* .//+,A04 -".% !"*O24 sE=+S B* !D2`q*A0Ed&8 .D)-A04 !"`) '8 }'APDE#% 0_E=+S ^(\) W() @AB)"J B* /&8& "* BG Those of us who have personally gone through the experience of exile and out-migration feel an affinity with books. Today, on this Coast Salish First Nations’ traditional land, we inaugurate and celebrate the arrival of some of the latest immigrants in the continued influx of new arrivants in Canada. Persian books, from Iran, settle down in their new home, the Poirier (the pear tree) branch of Coquitlam Library. Donated by late Atefeh Sarrafi, this collection is a part of the extensive array of books that the Sarrafi family had collected for generations. These books, with their origins elsewhere, and with their irreducible diversity, now sit alongside one another and amidst books in other languages. The library becomes richer as it expands and as it begins to speak ever more languages. The library becomes a library by virtue of inclusion. "4 0,D)- .D)/+G B*+~M '8 P",/'- -' 0i(G !&+* & D2UKM " tqd BG DEC3= 0)"3G "4 !"24 8/ @AB)'+G !"24(* @/'DY' & "*% f24-+I W"~E#' 8/ -&+4' .H32) X"CG 0,D)- B* H="KdA9* !'+Y"64 /&8& NI'+4 f#' 8/ Wf24-+I f#' B* !'+Y"64 /&8& o&'D4 D)&8 8/ "M N#'APD4% /+, W9*+. +2Ä)ANG @ABl(<~4 0I8"S @"=AX"CG ")"<= !'/8'& P-"M f#' :N#+2z* f`Y '8 /8'& P-"M 0)'+Y"64 Å'D=' o:C2G(G B#8'(? @AB)"q*"CG B* 0S'+r B\g"l /"#APD)- o") B* BG DEC3= 0S'+r @AP/'()"J T3) DEi Ç`l Tr"É HI' @+C,8O* @ABl(<~4 -' @'AP8"? AB)"q*"CG B* PDd 'D=' Fq* .D)'APDd "~E#' "M !"`=",/'- -' '8 @/"#- P'8 BG 0I8"S R(EC4 @"=AX"CG f#' .P/'()"J f#' @"Ñl' .DEE2`)A04 +z#/ @"=A!"*- B* W+z#/ @"=AX"CG 8"EG 8/ B#8'(? @AB)"q*"CG 8/ !(EG' WD)'AP/(<2? B)"q*"CG ./(dA04 +MA0E. & /+C3,A04 W/+2,A04 +* 8/ '8 f2Ei 0>"=ABl(<~4 AB)"q*"CG BG !"EÖ<= .DEd"* PD)+#Ü? BG HI' /(J o") @ABC3#"d P"_)% I imagine that almost all of us in this room have our origins—culturally, historically, or linguistically—elsewhere. The history of en masse Iranian out-migration to the West is marked by the 1979 Revolution. As such, the Iranian community is among of the latest additions to the cultural diversity that defines Canada, this vast library. While internally diverse in every imaginable respect and speaking in many languages, the Iranian diasporic community in British Columbia, roughly numbered around 35,000, is a young community trying to reach out to its hostland, a community finding its place here. Our celebration of the Grand Opening of Ati Sarrafi’s invaluable Persian book collection is an indication of the coming of age of the a growing community that is spreading roots and making significant contributions to the place it calls home, after the agonizing experience of exile and departure. 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Let us remind ourselves that libraries become utopian exilic places where books, out-migrating because of forces stronger than them, find a place of refuge, a resting place, a topos of peace and reflection. In settling down, these books call out on the ones that are aware of the newcomer and wish to understand them. That is how the book, the immigrant, changes the world. This is precisely what makes us eager to stay around and watch out for the cultural impact the Sarrafi Persian collection, and similar collections, will make in the years to come. 8/ @+_Ed&8 +tl & BC2)8D4 8/ +Y"64 @"=AX"CG +2kèM 0q#8"M !"CI'/ "* '8 NEqI -&+4' f4 àKI B* BG W+Y"64 @"=AX"CG !% 8/ BG HI' @+6`)"48% AB)"q*"CG N#+K) /"# -' .o/+G -".% "?&8' & B`#D)' @'+* 0="z#"Y WDE*"#A04 0="E? WD)'APDd PD)'8 F#(J @AB)"J -' /(J -' +MAé8O* 0>&+2) "M DEEGA04 'Dr '8 0)'+z#/ !'+Y"64 f#' WDEI8A04 !"*O24 f24-+I B* BG P"_)% .ê]r 8/ 0,D).DEGA04 !(,+,/ '8 "2)/ WX"CG "# W+Y"64 BG HI' B)(,Af#' .DE#(z* !")% B* '8 /(J !"CI'/ DE)'(C* f#' 8/ '8 0S'+r P/'()"J 0>'D=' @ABl(<~4 "M DEGA04 ë"C`4 '8 "4 BG HI' BC{) f2<= HI8/ & .N2EG BU7"[4 PDE#% @"=AZ"I 8/ !"*O24 BU4"Y +* '8 !% 0_E=+S +2kèM & N#+2z* +Ä) +#- AB)"q*"CG Every book is an emigrant, just as every immigrant is a book. Human society is a library that speaks many languages. The book that I am reading, regardless of the tongue in which it is printed, always speaks to me in my own language. That is why the book is my vital companion, the library my ultimate abode. We have much to learn from our books. To live together in peace in the library, in our society, while retaining our uniqueness, we need to keep the dialogue going. ! 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