Rachel Kushner, Lydia Davis, André Aciman, Hanif Abdurraqib, Vivian Gornick & Salman Rushdie
discuss Forms & Influences at International Literature Festival Dublin
From the holy voice of Aretha Franklin to the precision of Beckett’s prose, the influences on a writers’ vision come in many guises. This May, as part of ILFDublin a number of writers will talk about their forms & influences, giving audiences a unique insight into their artistic minds and motivations. The writers taking part in this strand of the festival are Rachel Kushner, Lydia Davis, André Aciman, Hanif Abdurraqib, Vivian Gornick and Salman Rushdie. The journey will trace the arc of a writer’s life, from formative years to mature reflection, through real life and artistic epiphany.
With each book a cultural playlist between hardcovers, join us and set forth on along new pathways of discovery. Tickets on sale now.
The Hard Crowd: Rachel Kushner
Thu 20 May, Live-Stream at 20:00 GMT, Tickets €5
From riding the Cabo 1000 to visiting a Palestinian refugee camp, The Hard Crowd is a high-octane essay collection that bristles with lived experience and the moral questions underpinning Rachel Kushner’s fiction.
The Bare Essentials: Lydia Davis
Fri 21 May, Live-Stream at 18:00 GMT, Tickets €5
In Essays, Lydia Davis examines her own style: wry, lucid, with every word deliberately placed, in the light of creative influences, ranging from Thomas Pynchon to Beckett, from Lucia Berlin to Joan Mitchell.
Holding The Mirage: André Aciman
Sun 23 May, Live-Stream at 18:00 GMT, Tickets €8
With Homo Irrealis Aciman explores what the present tense means to artists who cannot grasp the here and now; a fascinating take on his own literary style, and his artistic inspirations, including W.G. Sebald, Beethoven and the films of Eric Rohmer.
It’s All Performance: Hanif Abdurraqib
Tue 25 May, Live-Stream at 18:00 GMT, Tickets €5
A Little Devil In America is a wholly original collection, celebrating Black performance, from Josephine Baker to Beyonce, through tap-dancing and punk, in a personal journey through cultural history.
Take a Long Look: Vivian Gornick
Fri 28 May, Streams at 18:00 GMT, Tickets €5
Beginning with the legendary Village Voice in the late 60s, Vivian Gornick’s essays have defined an era of social and literary change; Taking A Long Look is a mature and clear-eyed view on the writers and thinkers that matter.
Speaking the Language of Truth: Salman Rushdie
Sun 30 May, Live-Stream at 18:00 GMT, Tickets €8
A major figure in world literature, Salman Rushdie’s essays in Languages Of Truth cover legendary writers like Cervantes, artists such as Ai Weiwei and thinking on the big topics – truth, courage and liberty – that have defined his life and art.