Suzanne Jill Levine, a leading translator of the fictional works of Argentine writer Manuel Puig, will speak about her current research on a biography of the author Wednesday, April 21, at 4:30 p.m. in 122 Rockefeller Hall on the Cornell University campus.

The lecture, "From Translation to Biography, or Reading on the Fringe: My Life with Manuel Puig," is free and open to the public.

Levine, professor of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of California-Santa Barbara, is well-known for her translations of Puig's most famous work, Kiss of the Spider Woman, as well as his other novels, including Betrayed by Rita Hayworth, Heartbreak Tango, Buenos Aires Affair and Tropical Night Falling.

In all, Levine has translated more than 20 volumes, including works by many major Latin American authors, among them Borges, Cortazar and Vicu–a. Levine also has published several important books of scholarship and criticism, notably on the fiction of Garcia Marquez and Bioy Cesares and on the theory and practice of translation.

Levine's biography of Puig and her discussion of it go beyond providing details about the author's life in a critical context, said William J. Kennedy, acting chair of the comparative literature department at Cornell. "She also includes procedural reflections on the work of writing a biography and on the place of biography in literary, historical and cultural studies. These are questions significant to a number of graduate and undergraduate students as well as faculty at Cornell. [The lecture] will engage specialists in English, Spanish, comparative literature and Romance studies and attract those involved in cultural studies, ethnic studies, various area studies, creative writing and historical research."

Kennedy added that Levine "has a quick wit and is closely attuned to current directions of study in the humanities. Her ideas will spark productive discussion and will enrich the community of writers and scholars on this campus."

The event is sponsored by the Cornell Committee on University Lectures.