After two purely virtual editions due to the pandemic, literature enthusiasts once more take possession of Solothurn on Thursday during the three days of Literary Days. About ten authors and translators from French-speaking Switzerland make the trip.
Among the French-speaking authors and translators present at the festival, we can mention Simona Brunel-Ferrarelli, Rebecca Gisler, Pierre-André Milhit, Ivan Salamanca, François-Henri Désérable, Pierrine Poget and Blaise Ndala. While the vast majority of guests are German-speaking, German-speaking readers will also be introduced to French- and Italian-speaking works.
The new director of the Federal Office of Culture, Carine Bachmann, is taking part in this literary event for the first time. She was already there on Wednesday evening with Federal Councilor Alain Berset for the presentation of the 2022 Swiss Literature Prizes, to three Romandes in particular: Rebecca Gisler, Fabienne Radi and Isabelle Sbrissa. Graubünden Reto Hänny also received his Swiss Grand Prize for Literature personally.
End clap for Dani Lanholf
Thursday evening should be a special event for Dani Landolf. This 44th edition is the second, but also the last that he leads. He announced his resignation in January to everyone’s surprise due to differences over the future development of the Solothurn Literary Days. A duo formed by Nathalie Widmer and Rico Engesser will take up the torch in August.
Dani Landolf and his team invite 140 events on site. In addition to the classic readings and interviews, slam performances, workshops, round tables, exhibitions and thematic evenings are planned. Free readings will take place every followingnoon on the outdoor stage in front of the stairs of Solothurn Cathedral. About 80 authors from Switzerland and abroad are invited to this edition.
One downside: the last Pulitzer Prize winner, Joshua Cohen, has canceled his visit. The American was to present his novel ‘Witz’ with his translator Ulrich Blumenbach.
A panel discussion entitled ‘Was Russlands Krieg gegen die Ukraine macht mit uns’ (What Russia’s war once morest Ukraine does to us) was added to the program following the fact. On Saturday evening, author and translator Halyna Petrosanyak, who lives in Switzerland, as well as authors and translators Idyna Herasimovich, Olga Shparaga and Marina Skalova will discuss it. Evgenia Lopata will be joined by zoom from the city of Czernowitz, in western Ukraine.
/ATS
