For the 22e edition of the Lettres du monde festival, the association of the same name is organizing the arrival of five foreign authors in Greater Villeneuvois: the Norwegian Aslak Nore, the Quebecois Virginie DeChamplain, the Icelandic Thora Hjörleifsdóttir, the Portuguese José Vieira and the Italian Valerio Varesi.
The festival will stop in five municipalities in the region, from November 16 to 23: at the Villeneuve-sur-Lot library initially, then at the Valois room in Laroque-Timbaut, at the Casseneuil media library, at the cinema the Utopia of Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot, and, finally, at the Salle des Noisetiers in Pujols.
“Desecrate these meetings”
This year, after more than twenty years of existence, the traveling festival is organizing around 70 meetings in the space of ten days, spread throughout New Aquitaine. These, free, aim to disseminate foreign culture and literature in the region.
The Greater Villeneuvois Urban Community finances these five meetings thanks to a grant of 4,400 euros granted to the association in charge. Lettres du monde therefore complements the projects already present around reading, such as Villeneuve se livre or the Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot comics festival.
The objective is also to “desacralize these meetings”, which do not remain solely reserved for regular readers. “We shouldn’t stop ourselves from coming if we haven’t read the book. They can then make you want to read the work,” explains Cécile Quintin, director of the Lettres du monde association. Signing sessions will take place at the end of all the meetings, in the presence of the Livresse bookstore in Villeneuve-sur-Lot.
In detail
Saturday November 16, the Villeneuve-sur-Lot library will open the ball by welcoming Aslak Nore, at 5:30 p.m. He will present his latest work “The Heirs of the Arctic”. Tuesday 19, at 6 p.m., it will be the turn of the Salle Valois, in Laroque-Timbaut, to organize a reading meeting with Virginie DeChamplain and her book “Before Burning”. Icelandic writer Thora Hjörleifsdóttir will stop at the Casseneuil media library on Thursday 21, from 6 p.m., to present her book “Magma”. Then, the Utopia cinema in Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot will organize a screening-debate around the book and documentary “Memories of a Radiant Future” by José Vieira, Friday 22. Finally, the festival will leave Villeneuvois after a stop at the Salle des Noisetiers de Pujols, Saturday 23 from 4 p.m., and a meeting with Valerio Varesi and his work “The Strategy of the Lizard”. These five meetings are free. Information: 05 53 41 53 19 or 05 53 40 49 15.
