en 
fr 
Inspired by BBC Radio’s “Desert Island Discs,” the Peter Lang Group presents ‘Peak Reads & Playlists’.
Join us on a journey to the mountain peaks near our Lausanne headquarters where we speak with our esteemed series editors.
In this interview format, our guests share the books, music, and food that would keep them company if they were whisked away alone to this beautiful mountain setting. They’ll explore the reasons behind their choices, revealing the influence each has had on their lives. Get a glimpse into the hearts and minds of the Peter Lang community.
Name: Dr. Irene Maria F. Blayer
Job Title: Full Professor
Series: Interdisciplinary Studies in Diasporas
Books
> Tell us, which fiction and/or non-fiction books would take spots on your list? Which FICTION title would take the coveted first spot on your list?
I will weave the question through three books that have quietly, yet decisively, left an indelible mark: the inner weather of a solitary self in Pessoa’s Book of Disquiet; the drift and disorientation of an uprooted circle in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises; and the urban chorus that hums through Cela’s The Hive. Together, they open conversations about belonging, language, everyday labour, and the inventive forms literature forges to hold a fractured modern society. These readings bind inner life to the social fabric and treat form as an ethical choice, aligning with my ongoing preoccupation with home and diasporic belonging.
Fernando Pessoa, Livro do Desassossego (The Book of Disquiet), a masterclass in voice and self-division that sharpens attention to tone, aphorism, and the porous border between author and persona, asking what ‘home’ means when identity is multiple. Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises., a landmark portrait of the “Lost Generation,” where communal drift, ritual and claims of authenticity collide with modern decadence, unrequited love, desire, exile and aimlessness; a counterpoint to Pessoa’s inward gaze. Camilo José Cela, La colmena (The Hive), a mosaic of micro-scenes that builds a collective self-portrait; contingency―who meets whom, where, and when― powers meaning, and fragmentation mirrors a society frayed yet interdependent.
Music
> The mountain ranges have spectacular acoustics. Which 5 MUSICAL RECORDINGS would you take to enjoy whilst up on the summit and why?
It is never easy to confine a lifetime of listening to a few tracks, but given the space and the opportunity, I would let Pressler’s Chopin Nocturne and Pires’s Clair de lune hush the dawn, then open the day with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Grieg’s Peer Gynt in bright, wind-swept colour. As shadows lengthen, Miles Davis’s Blue in Green invites quiet reflection, before Aznavour’s La bohème warms the twilight with memory and longing. Finally, Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World sends us down the mountain with a simple, grateful blessing.
Food
> We couldn’t let our community feed their souls but not their bodies, so which FOOD DISH would you choose to take with you on the mountain retreat?
Some chocolate would suffice, my enduring favourite, inviting slow savouring; nothing that competes, only complements.
Thank you to Dr Irene Maria F. Blayer for joining us up the mountain!
Discover the series here – Interdisciplinary Studies in Diasporas
