Rencontre avec Dermot Bolger

Poet, playwright and novelist Dermot Bolger is one of Ireland’s most acclaimed contemporary writers. The subject of his novel A Second Life (2010) is perfect for the theme chosen for the 11th Festival des cultures d’Europe – “the secret”. Séan has known since the age of eleven that he was adopted but it isn’t until he is in his late thirties, following a car crash, that he becomes obsessed with the circumstances of his birth in 1950s Ireland. Struggling against a wall of official silence and a complex sense of guilt, he determines to find his birth mother, embarking on an absorbing journey into archives, memories, dreams and startling confessions.

The Festival des cultures d’Europe is organised by European cultural centres and institutes around Paris. From 9 to 15 May, a varied programme of events including reading, rencontres and films will be presented around the theme of “the secret”.

The full programme of events is available at: www.123cultures.com