http://www.intofrench.org

Skip to content

Login

Username Password
Forgot your password? Forgot your username? Create an account

Create an account

Highlight - Culture

www.france-southafrica.com

You are here: Home

Culture

Literature

Parts of celeb French writer Michel Houellebecq's work translated in Afrikaans

A new book presents the translation into Afrikaans of a selection of eighty poems by Michel Houellebecq, along with two essays. Published by Hond, the translation was done by Catherine du Toit, a lecturer the University of Stellenbosch, and her French third year students; constituting both a literary and an educational linked to present and future research possibilities. Arguably the most famous French writer alive, Michel Houellebecq is a complex artist – ambiguous, ironic, multifaceted. On the one hand his work is cutting, cruel, sexually explicit, abject. On the other hand, he writes with rare compassion, intimate and attentive to the suffering of the aged, the fragile, the imperfect, the vanquished.

Fiction France: fresh French contemporary fiction to be read and translated

Published twice a year, Fiction France offers a selection of excerpts from French fiction along with English translations. The French publishers wish to highlight these books abroad by targeting translators, agents and publishers who take the risk of promoting contemporary fiction. Fiction France's aim is to create a new burst of enthusiasm for translations of contemporary French literature, to be a literary showcase for book professionals around the world, as well as an essential support to the French book market abroad. It is a tool which fully reflects the mission of the Institut français.

16th edition of the Poetry Africa festival to start on 15 October in Durban

One of the foremost poetry festival in Africa, Poetry Africa will this year pay a tribute to the spoken word, an art which popularity will appear as evident in the powerful performance arc that threads through this 16th edition of the festival. Poetry Africa will stage local and international performances, with artists such as Saul Williams, whose innovative work as an actor, poet and musician continues to break new ground on arts stages around the world.

Writer Nedim Gürsel to discuss literature and politics at Wits (Johannesburg)

ololo

Nedim Gürsel is a French writer of Turkish origin. Born in Turkey in 1951, he was forced - after the coup d'état in 1971 - to testify in court over one of his article, which led to his temporarily exile in France, where he studied at the Sorbonne. Gürsel then returned to Turkey, but the military putsch of 1981 sent him back into exile in France. He is the recipient of several major literary prizes. Two of his books, "The Conqueror" (2010) and the short story collection "The Last Tram" (2011) are available in English. Gürsel is invited at Wits to discuss literature and politics as part of a literary tour in SA organised in the framework of the France-South Africa crossed seasons 2012&2013.

Nedim Gürsel will be at Wits the 20 September, from 13:15 to 14:14 - Venue: Room 3176, 3d floor, East Wing, Senate House - RSVP: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Spy On Blackberry

Open Book literary festival in Cape Town to host a special edition of "Étonnants Voyageurs"

In the framework of the France - South-Africa seasons 2012&2013, a special program of the French literary festival "Étonnants Voyageurs" (Amazing Travellers) will take place at the Open Book festival in Cape Town on the 22d and 23d of September. Dedicated to the concept of "world literature", "Étonnants Voyageurs" was created to promote a new form of travel writing, and to offer a forum to travelling writers who seek to reflect on the societies they visit. The "Étonnants Voyageurs" and "Open Book" festivals share many characteristics. Not just book fairs, both festivals seek to promote encounters between authors and the public, featuring inter alia round table talks and special events for young readers.