Il n’est pas à la beauté
d’autre origine que la blessure

Jean Genet, in L’Atelier de Giacometti

 
 

For its fourteenth year, the Franco-Irish Literary Festival is opening its doors to lovers of literature, in the cultural capital and UNESCO City of Literature, Dublin.

Under the seal of the Irish presidency of the European Union, the 2013 festival is celebrating the cultural links uniting the nations of Europe: writers from all walks of life (from Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Northern Ireland and Romania), will do us the honour of taking part alongside many French and Irish authors.

This year, our shared theme is Love & Hurt: it will allow us to grasp what it is to be human separate from the underlying wound, to sound out lovers, the wounded man or woman, the animal in pain, through literature, as remedy and poison, as instrument of one desiring to cure evil with the pain-inflicting lance.

Jointly organised by the Alliance Française Dublin, and the Cultural Action and Co-operation Service of the French Embassy in Ireland, the festival also owes its success to the support of its loyal partners. This year, we say a special word of thanks to the Institut Français for its generosity in enabling us to stage such a large and beautiful festival! We also express our gratitude to our sponsors - The Ireland Fund of France, The Arts Council, Foras na Gaeilge, Poetry Ireland, the Irish Writers’ Centre, Ireland Literature Exchange, French and Irish companies and the media, and RTÉ lyric fm in particular, who contribute significantly to the festival’s success.

Ireland is having a party! The festival is also part and parcel of the event called The Gathering Ireland. The Irish from every country will be meeting up throughout the year to celebrate their culture. Let’s join in with them and share our experiences! Together, along with the writers coming to meet us, let us celebrate Ireland, France, and the passion for words!

 
 
We wish you all a great festival!
 
 
Philippe Milloux
Director
Alliance Française Dublin

Hadrien Laroche
Cultural and Scientific Counsellor
French Embassy in Ireland