Robert Schofield’s historical novel The Treasury of Tales has been shortlisted for the 2021 edition of the prestigious Servais Prize.
Timothy Lone reads Pierre Joris
Reading Luxembourg 2020
Congratulations, dear Nathalie, on your appointment as the new Director of Luxembourg’s National Literature Centre. You are exactly the right person for this post, with you competence, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, your generosity and kindness. At Black Fountain Press we were incredibly fortunate to have your input for 3 years. Thank you so much for all the work you have done! Where would Black Fountain be without you? We are sad to let you go, but we are also greatly looking forward to all the exciting projects you will initiate. Luxembourg’s literary scene is lucky to have you!
Congratulations, Pierre Joris! The jury couldn’t have found anyone worthier and more deserving of the prize.
Jury: «Pierre Joris' poetic and essayistic work is an expression of his tireless and versatile exploration of the transcendence of borders in an attempt to achieve a cosmopolitan vision. 'Routes, not roots' should therefore be understood as a programmatic title that emphasises the claim of Joris' 'nomad poetics' of moving between languages (English, French, German, Arabic, Luxembourgish), between literatures, and between cultures. In his poetry, he uses the seductive and experimental nature of words to weave a net of surprising juxtapositions of different literary and cultural texts (from the avantgarde, the beat generation, Rilke, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot over Maghrebi literature to pop culture), which enables the reader to explore the world from its edges, to stroll through the diaspora, and to feel at home there. Joris' poetry, which postulates and expects an openness of mind, an agility of thought, and the willingness to deconstruct language, is therefore a modern answer to all forms of ideological curtailment and myopia. Joris is not just a convinced and convincing literary citizen of the world, he also takes his reader on a journey to an in-between, the nomad's true home.
The linguistic nomad Joris is also a literary ambassador. His translation of Paul Celan's oeuvre from German into English is monumental. He has also translated from English into French and vice versa. Joris moves between the arts in his domopoetics, a series of collaborations in which he and the artist Nicole Peyrafitte combine literature, performance and visual arts. This makes him a crossover artist, a theorist of nomad art, a wordsmith and an optimistic utopian, who believes in the magic of language and who invigorates it — in times of rising nationalisms, Joris responds to insularity with the affirmation of mutual respect and dialogue.»
With Black Fountain authors: Larisa Faber, Jean-Marc Lantz and Claudine Muno
A great time was had by all!
Rooftop Chalet and Beach Bar (2, rue de Nennig); 10 October at 6.30 pm
http://delano.lu/d/detail/news/english-publishers-award-2-young-writers/174009.