Angst and Amadeus!

Amadeus!  The hit movie based on the romaticized life of W. A. Mozart is an example of A Composer in Literature. That was the theme of the first of a two-part conference that Associate Professor Rosina Neginsky co-organized, which the University of Paris-Sorbonne hosted in 2016. Conference Poster (PDF) There Dr. Neginsky discussed the play by Peter Shaffer, “Amadeus,” and the small tragedy by Alexander Pushkin, “Mozart and Salieri.”

Rosina Neginsky

The second part of the conference, A Man of Letters in Music, takes place this week (Feb 22-24, 2018 )in Florence, Italy.  Dr. Neginsky will be presenting her analysis of the correspondence between Richard Strauss and Romain Rolland about the opera Salome.

One of Rosina’s research interests is the figure of Salome in art, literature, and music.  In 2013 she published a book Salome: Image of a Woman Who Never Was. In addition, she is an author of a book on a Russian woman journalist and translator, Zinaida Vengerova: In Search of Beauty, who was responsible for propagating the European Symbolist Movement in Russia. Rosina also works as an editor. Since 2010, she edited three books on Symbolist Movement, the latest of which is Mental Illnesses in Symbolism.

She has established a research center at UIS for Art, Literature, Music in Symbolism and Decadence and is preparing to organize another conference, this time in Illinois, with student participation. She is also interested in working with a student on an editing project.

Dr. Neginsky is also a poet. She does poetry readings locally, nationally, and internationally. She has published a number of collections of her poetry.  Her latest book of poetry is In the Garden of Luxembourg (2015), which was published in English, French, and Russian (2015).

In the Garden of Luxembourg

Another way that Rosina impacts the community is by organizing and curating a number of art exhibits at UIS and at the Springfield Art Association. The latest exhibition took place at SAA in September 2017 when she exhibited works by an Ukrainian Chicago based artist Lyubov Momot.

Rosina earned her PhD for U of I Urbana-Champaign in Comparative Literature. She teaches interdisciplinary subject matters such as Literature and Visual Arts. She is a member of the Art, Music and Theater Department. Her excellent research was recognized by the University of Illinois in 2008 with the University Scholar Award.

Dr. Neginsky’s current area of research is Angst in European Symbolism. She is writing a new book on Mikhail Vrubel in Western European Context. Rosina will be presenting her latest research and signing her most recent book: Mental Illnesses in Symbolism (2017) on April 24, 2018, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Public Affairs Center, Conference Room F.

Mental Illness in Symbolism

2 Replies to “Angst and Amadeus!”

  1. I have been to many lectures and presentations given by Dr. Neginsky. The subject matter she discusses is always intriguing. Her knowledge speaks to years of research and passion. Dr. Neginsky guides viewers to discover the hidden meaning within any art piece. She masterfully explores the expression of mental illness through art with ease, making for a wonderful experience. I am very much looking forward to the presentation on April 24th!

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