Eminent French Poet For Western Writers' Centre, Galway

galway | arts and media | event notice Friday September 12, 2008 12:21 by Fred Johnston - The Western Writers' Centre - Ionad Scríbhneoiri Chaitlin Maude - Galway westernwriters at eircom dot net 27 Nuns Island, Galway 091533594/0872178138

Dominique Sorrente to read in Galway

The Western Writers' Centre, Galway, (Ionad Scribhneoiri Chaitlin Maude) will present the eminent French poet, Dominique Sorrente, at a reading at The Imperial Hotel, Eyre Square, Galway, on Wednesday, October 8th, starting at 8pm.

The reading will be in French and English. Admission is free.

Dominique Sorrente

Dominique Sorrente was born in Nevers, France in 1953. He spent his childhood in various cities and regions of France, including Marseille and the Morvan forests and the Vendée on the Atlantic coast. He moved in 1970 to Aix-en-Provence where he began to write poetry passionately. In that year, aged 17, he made several crucial contacts, notably with the mystic poet, Christian Guez Ricord (1948-1988) in whom he recognised his "older brother in poetry" and who was to have a lasting influence on his work. In 1975, in Paris, he founded the journal "Avalanche" which he edited for four years with the novelist, Michel Orcel. After studying Political Sciences and European Studies in Paris and Bruges(Belgium), he returned to Marseille where he decided to devote himself to teaching. His first book (Citadelles et Mers, 1978) was published by the well-known Mediterranean and International Review, Sud. Later on, he became an influential member of the committee of Sud, being more and more involved in the destiny of this review until it disappeared in 1997. In 1982, a young editor, Jean-François Manier (Cheyne editions), accepted his manuscript La Lampe allumée sur Patmos. From then on, Cheyne was to become, for over twenty years, his principal publisher. Dominique Sorrente was elected laureate by the Marseille Academy in 1983, and "Guy Levis Mano" laureate in 1984; he subsequently received several literary Prizes: "Luc Bérimont", "Antonin Artaud" and "Louis Guillaume" as well as two grants from the Centre National du Livre (French Ministry of Culture). Later on, he became a member of different boards such as the Jean Malrieu Prize. Recently he received the Sainte-Victoire Prize in Aix-en-Provence. He has published some twenty books and anthologies, including a bilingual poetry collection, A Crayon for the Rainbow (Publibook, 2003). A new book was published in March 2007, called Mandala des jours (Publibook). Dominique Sorrente’s writing has also been published in several journals, both in France and abroad. Poems have been translated into English, but also in German, Romanian, Italian, Chinese, and some other languages such as Provençal. He currently gives regular readings, lectures and seminars in France and internationally (Prague, Venice, Marrakech, Naples) He participates regularly in literary events in France, such as the Printemps des Poètes. In 2007, he was invited to the first “Primavera dei poeti” in Turin, In 1999 : a retrospective exhibition "Voix, poème, encre & compagnie" was dedicated to Dominique Sorrente and other collaborating artists (painters, musicians, sculptors, poets), organized in Aix-en-Provence by the Saint-John Perse Foundation created in honour of the Nobel Prize winner. In 2006 Dominique Sorrente was selected for an international Residence in Lavigny Castle (Switzerland).

"We are delighted to be able to host a prominent French writer in Galway," said the Centre's Director, Fred Johnston, "and this is something we have been striving to do for some time. Hopefully we will do more of it. We need to hear other types of poetry than our own and the contemporary French poetry scene is particularly vibrant." The Western Writers' Centre would like to thank Madame Francoise Connolly of the Ambassade de France, Dublin. Details can be obtained from the Western Writers' Centre at 091.533594, Marvelle Maguire, and 087.2178138, Fred Johnston, or by e-mailing westernwriters@eircom.net.