Reading and discussion
A rendezvous with contemporary French literature
Nathacha Appanah // Photo © Editions Gallimard - Francesca Mantovani
The literary encounter with Nathacha Appanah will take place on 21 May from 4 pm in the premises of the "Kirche an der Uni" (Gaußstraße 4, Wuppertal). Those interested who cannot attend in person can participate via video conference (Zoom). The link for dialling in is: https://urlz.fr/unKE.
"In recent years, Nathacha Appanah has gained an increasingly important place in the French literary scene and is now a widely read and much commented on author of contemporary French-language literature," explains organiser Marie Cravageot-Mess from the BUW.
Appanah's literary work covers such diverse topics as family relationships and memory, as well as geopolitical and social issues. Her best-known works include the internationally acclaimed novel Tropique de la violence (The Green Eye), Le Dernier Frère (The Last Brother) and Rien ne t'appartient (Nothing Belongs to You). In 2023, she published La Mémoire délavée (The Washed Out Memory), an autobiographical story. The text is a tribute to her Indian ancestors, who landed in Port-Louis in 1872 to work on the sugar cane plantations of the colonies after the emancipation of slaves.
Nathacha Appanah was born in Mauritius and has lived in France since 1998, where she works as a freelance journalist and writer. Among other honours, she was awarded the "Prize of the French Language" for her complete works in 2022 and held the Chair of Writing at Sciences Po, the renowned institute for political studies in Paris.
More background on the literary encounters at the BUW
Since 2015, the Department of Romance Studies at the University of Wuppertal has been inviting internationally renowned French-speaking authors to discuss their work. Many of them are winners of major French literary prizes, such as the Prix Goncourt, which is considered one of the most important in France. Over the years, the Rencontres Littéraires (Literary Encounters) have become internationally recognised and are now one of the major meetings with French literature in North Rhine-Westphalia and far beyond. Thanks to video conferencing, participants from 15 countries took part in the most recent meetings.
Participation in the events is free of charge. The meetings are held exclusively in French; if desired, there is the option of translating questions and answers in the subsequent exchange with the authors.
