Internationally acclaimed guest speakers are due to address the 1st International Conference on Literary Criticism and Theory to be held at the University campus by the Department of English between Thursday and Saturday.

The speakers include Catherine Belsey, Douglas Burnham, Simon Critchley, Stefan Herbrechter, Fiona Hughes, Laurent Milesi, Jean-Michel Rabaté and Stuart Sillars.

Entitled 'Style in Theory - Styling Theory', the conference will seek to identify authors and critics who cultivate, develop and theorise style as their signature and examine how their works illuminate style in theory and theory in style.

The conference will also reopen the question, 'What is the place of style in theory, what is its future?' to explore whether theory is really the discourse to think through - perhaps even to resolve - tensions that have long existed between philosophy and literature over the question of style.

For details, view the website www.um.edu.mt/events/styleintheory2009.

To attend, e-mail lucienne.bugeja@fis.com.mt.