Literary autumn marathon in France: 21 authors in five cities
The Netherlands and Flanders ‘focus country’ at France’s largest children’s book fair
28 Nov-3 December 2018
This autumn the Les Phares du Nord campaign is taking twenty-one Dutch and Flemish authors to five French cities. A great deal of attention is also being paid to Dutch-language children’s and young adult literature, a much sought-after export product. From 28 November to 3 December, the Netherlands and Flanders are the ‘focus country’ at the Salon du Livre et de la Presse Jeunesse in Montreuil, France’s biggest and most important children’s book fair.
Fifteen authors will be performing at the fair, signing their books and talking with readers: Sjoerd Kuyper, Simon van der Geest, Barbara Tammes, Anna Woltz, Jan Paul Schutten, Laïla Koubaa, Bart Moeyaert, Gerda Dendooven, Mies van Hout, Floor Rieder, Leo Timmers, Mark Janssen and Loes Riphagen. In addition, Dutch and Flemish authors will take part in the MÏCE, the rights centre at the fair.
New French translations of books by Anna Woltz, Jan Paul Schutten and Floor Rieder, Mark Janssen, Leo Timmers, Bart Moeyaert and Gerda Dendooven have been published recently, or will be published during the fair.
The six-day Salon du Livre et de la Presse Jeunesse in Montreuil concentrates not only on the general public but on schools and professional visitors from the book trade. Last year the fair attracted more than 175,000 visitors.
Illustration
At the Phares du Nord stand, a studio resembling the Panorama Mesdag in The Hague will be set up where children can work along with illustrators to depict ‘our future’, the theme of the fair. In the drawing workshops they can help to complete three landscapes (beach, farm, futuristic landscape).
On Saturday the spotlight will be on Dutch and Flemish illustration. Loes Riphagen, Mies van Hout, Mark Janssen and Leo Timmers will take part in an illustration relay race with French illustrators (including Amélie Graux, Adrien Albert and Rémi Courgeon). The programme will be moderated by Margot Dijkgraaf.
Autumn marathon: Toulouse and beyond
Almost at the same time, from 22 to 25 November, Connie Palmen, H.M. van den Brink, Rutger Bregman, Lize Spit, Margriet de Moor, Griet op de Beeck and Frank Westerman will be appearing at the Marathon d’automne in Toulouse. Following on from that, the Maison de la Poésie in Paris is organizing a literary evening with Connie Palmen to mark the publication of the translation of her novel on Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes Jij zegt het: Ton histoire. Mon histoire (Actes Sud, translation by Arlette Ounanian). On 13 December Luuk van Middelaar will be interviewed in Paris about the new translation of his non-fiction book De nieuwe politiek van Europa: Quand l’Europe improvise. Dix ans de crises politiques (Gallimard, translation by Daniel Cunin), which has been received with great acclaim by the French press. Last week Jan Brokken was interviewed at the festival Littératures Européennes in Cognac, at which next year, in November 1919, the Netherlands will be country of honour.
Recent work by all these authors is available in French translation; details may be found in our translations database: en.vertalingendatabase.nl.
Furthermore our Authors database offers more information about the authors mentioned.
Les Phares du Nord
Over 100 Dutch and Flemish authors will present themselves at more than twenty literary festivals throughout France as part of Les Phares du Nord (The Lighthouses of the North), an intensive campaign aimed at bringing Dutch literature to France, the second largest book market in Europe and the fifth worldwide.
Les Phares du Nord is organized by the Dutch Foundation for Literature, in close cooperation with Flanders Literature, the Dutch embassy in Paris, the Flemish representation in France, and many French partners.
lespharesdunord.nl / Facebook
