2025 Rava Memorial Lecture Series Presents D.T. Max
The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures presents the 2025 Rava Lecture Series featuring guest speaker, staff writer at The New Yorker, D.T. Max, author of The Family That Couldn’t Sleep: Unravelling a Venetian Medical Mystery, Finale: Late Conversations with Stephen Sondheim, and Every Love Story is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace, a national best-seller.
Imagine a life where the simple act of falling asleep becomes an impossibility—a battle against biology that no one can win. For a family in northern Italy, this nightmare has been their reality for over two centuries, as a rare genetic mutation robs them of rest and, ultimately, life itself. In The Family That Couldn’t Sleep, acclaimed writer Dan T. Max takes us on a gripping journey into their story—a tale that intertwines science, history, and humanity. Join us as Max delves into the world of Fatal Familial Insomnia, exploring the resilience of a family caught in the crosshairs of fate and genetics.
Join us on Thursday, February 27, in Umrath Lounge for an enlightening evening with Dan T. Max. The reception will begin at 4:00 pm, offering an opportunity to connect and reflect before the lecture, "To Sleep No More," which starts at 4:30 pm, continuing until 6:00 pm. Don’t miss this fascinating exploration of resilience, fate, and the boundaries of medical science.
The Rava Memorial Lecture is funded by the family of Paul and Silvia Rava and sponsored by the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.
