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Lecture

Professor David Peimer
Marco Polo in Film: The First Great Adventurer to the East

Saturday 11.01.2025

How to watch

This lecture starts on 11 January at 5:00pm (UK).

Summary

Born in Venice in 1254, Marco Polo lived an extraordinary life. He was a merchant, explorer, and writer who traveled through Asia along the Silk Road for over two decades. He was even a diplomat for Kublai Khan for some time. He wrote about his travels whilst in prison when back in Venice (The Book of Marvels) and opened the then-mysterious Eastern world to the West. In this sweeping presentation, we will look at his life and some films about his eventful and remarkable life and times.

Professor David Peimer

head and shoulders portrait of david peimer looking at camera, smiling

David Peimer is a professor of theatre and performance studies in the UK. He has taught at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and New York University (Global Division), and was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. Born in South Africa, David has won numerous awards for playwriting and directing. He has written eleven plays and directed forty in places like South Africa, New York, Brussels, London, Berlin, Zulu Kingdom, Athens, and more. His writing has been published widely and he is the editor of Armed Response: Plays from South Africa (2009) and the interactive digital book Theatre in the Camps (2012). He is on the board of the Pinter Centre in London.