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Teolinda Gersão: The Word Tree


Reading

29 October 2024 at 6.30pm

The James Joyce Centre is proud to host a literary gathering with the Portuguese writer Teolinda Gersão on the subject of her book The Word Tree on Tuesday, 29 October 2024 at 6.30pm. The event is organised by the Embassy of Portugal to Ireland in partnership with Literature Ireland. It will be moderated by the Director of Literature Ireland Sinéad Mac Aodha.

This event is sponsored by the Portuguese cultural institute, Camões — Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua, I.P. and the Irish branch of the Network of European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC).

All are most welcome to attend, including book enthusiasts and members of the Portuguese-speaking community in Ireland.

Doors open at 6pm. The event is free but booking is required. Click this link for tickets.

The Word Tree is a portrait of Lourenço Marques, before and during the colonial war. It is a book about the fascination of Africa and African culture, about the mix and clash of cultures and also a disturbing story about paradise that turns into a nightmare. A magical book about childhood, to which one cannot return, except through the miracle of literature.” (Porto Editora)

Margaret Jull Costa’s translation was awarded the Calouste Gulbenkian Portuguese Translation Prize for 2012.

Teolinda Gersão is the author of 12 novels and short-story collections, which have been translated into various languages. Her work has brought her many prizes, including the Pen Club Prize for best novel (twice), the Literature Prize from the International Critics’ Literary Association and the Grand Prix for Novel and Short-Story from the Portuguese Writers´ Association. The Word Tree is the first of her novels to be published in English.

Photo: Homem Cardoso

This year’s edition of the EUNIC European Book Club series, entitled “Europe!”, will showcase the work of eight European authors from Poland, Italy, Romania, Ireland, Estonia, Portugal, Slovenia and France. For more information please visit the following webpage: https://www.facebook.com/EUNICireland/

The James Joyce Centre is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

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