Leila Slimani at the Louisiana Literature Festival
The Franco-Moroccan writer Leïla Slimani, winner of the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 2016 for her novel Chanson douce, will be taking part in the Louisiana Literature Festival, which is being held this year from 20 to 23 August. There, she will be presenting her novel J’emporterai le feu, the final instalment of her trilogy entitled Le Pays des autres, the Danish translation of which was published earlier this year under the title Jeg bærer ilden by Gyldendal.
J'emporterai le feu (I'll take the fire)
Mia and Inès, third-generation members of the Belhaj family, grow up in Morocco during the 1980s and 1990s. Like their grandmother Mathilde, their mother Aïcha and their aunt Selma, they are passionate about independence, yet they face a dilemma: to be free, must they leave or stay? Whether in exile or in solitude, they will have to carve out a place for themselves, learn new ways of doing things, and confront prejudice – and sometimes racism.
The third and final instalment of Pays des autres, J’emporterai le feu offers a splendid conclusion to a powerfully poetic and romantic family saga.
Leïla Slimani has been actively involved in literary and intellectual life in Morocco and France for several years. She reported on the Arab Spring in Tunisia in 2010 and is an active advocate for women’s rights in Morocco. In 2016, the President of the Republic appointed her as his personal representative for the Francophonie.
Programme:
Friday 21 August 26
3.30 pm – 4.30 pm – Discussion with Marc-Christoph Wagner (Parkscenen)
Saturday 22 August 26
2.30 pm – 3.30 pm – A conversation with the Indian author Kiran Desai, winner of the 2006 Booker Prize; moderated by Lotte Folke Kaarsholm (Parkscenen)
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