Placeholder and Serendipity: Notes on Reading Literature in 2026
On March 31, April 7, and April 14, internationally acclaimed writer Yiyun Li delivered the 2026 Berlin Lectures. The three lectures investigated two less-discussed roles of literature: as a placeholder and as a place where discoveries happen by serendipity. During a contentious time when humanistic values often feel as though besieged, and life is increasingly driven by quests and outcomes, Li discusses her eclectic reading practice and her life experience as an exploration of how to stay enchanted with a muddled and disenchanting world.
March 31: Lecture I - "Three Lives; Two Exiles; One Question"
April 7: Lecture II - "Precision and Clarity in the Time of Uncertainty "
April 14: Lecture III - "Placeholder and Serendipity"
Watch Lecture I: "Three Lives; Two Exiles; One Question"
Watch Lecture II: "Precision and Clarity in the Time of Uncertainty"
Watch Lecture III: "Placeholder and Serendipity"
Past Berlin Family Lecturers
Explore the insights of previous world-renowned scholars and artists who have shared their expertise with our audiences for more than a decade.
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About the Berlin Family Lectures
Inaugurated in 2014 with a gift from Randy and Melvin Berlin, the Berlin Family Lectures brings to campus leading scholars, writers, and creative artists from around the world. Each academic year, the visitor delivers an extended series of lectures, participates in the university’s intellectual community, and develops a book for publication with the University of Chicago Press.