WHAT’S BETTER THAN curling up on the couch with a good book? Perhaps it’s hearing the writers of the stories that have moved you to tears or laughter expand upon their work in the beautiful surrounds of Dublin’s Merrion Square.
Reading is a solitary pursuit, as is the writing process, however, the excellent annual International Literature Festival Dublin presents an opportunity to create a community of story lovers and tellers.
Now in its 26th year, the International Literature Festival Dublin (ILFD) returns for another 10 days of events that celebrate the magic of books for readers of all ages on May 19 until May 28. As always, the festival’s extraordinary programme features events that span books, music, well-being, walking tours, comedy and cabaret. “The festival planning is a year-round task!” Festival director and producer, Aimée van Wylick tells The Journal.
Amongst the highlights of this year’s programme, Merrion Square Park will welcome Hollywood actor and food enthusiast Stanley Tucci, who released his memoir Taste: My Life Through Food in 2021, to have an in-depth conversation with author Marian Keyes. Elsewhere, there will be inspiring panel discussions reflecting different social and cultural issues and music-based events such as New Nurturing: FELISPEAKS melds music, poetry and visual art to raise awareness of the remarkable women shaping Ireland’s arts community.
Van Wylick highlights some of the more immersive events in this year’s broad programme: “At ILFD we continue to create immersive experiences. Our fringe programme celebrates literature and anything relating to the power of words in unconventional ways. Well-being, wandering, sightseeing, quirkiness and moving into cross-artform spaces are a must for us. We’re also delighted to be celebrating Behan’s centenary this year and all three events are designed not only for those familiar with Behan but also for those still due to discovering this beloved and beguiling character through an evening of song and story.”
“In addition to the events highlighted above,” van Wylick further elaborates on the remarkable variety of shows taking place over the 10 days. “Some of the more out-of-the-box events that we’re really looking forward to are all about getting out into the city, getting hands-on with stories and storytelling, and pushing the boundaries of what a literature festival can be. During the weekends, people will be able to stretch their legs with a number of walking tours like The #Friction of Censorship, which looks at the history of censorship in Irish literature, or On the Wilde Side, hosted by Wilde’s Women author Eleanor Fitzsimons. We’re hosting some very interesting workshops this year like Sight-Read: Fingertip #Friction, which is a poetry and poetic response workshop specifically designed for Blind and visually impaired people, as well as Mastering the Supernatural with the ultra-talented horror and fantasy writer Kirsty Logan.”
As well as commemorating the wonderful work and larger-than-life character of Ireland’s great literary figures such as Behan, ILFD also provides a platform for the country’s emerging voices in literature. Previous years have seen Megan Nolan and Sally Rooney in conversation upon the release of their respective debuts.
Sasha de Buyl, one of the 2o23 Festival Programmers, expands upon the excellent selection of Irish writers that will explore their work before audiences this May. “Irish writing is having (yet another) golden era and so we’ve been blessed in recent years with some truly excellent writers publishing their first books. Elaine Feeney is a brilliant new voice in Irish fiction and her novel How to Build a Boat was published just last month. The book is a thoughtful and uplifting meditation on grief and growing up. She’s appearing at the festival on the 20th May alongside Karl Geary, and it’s one you definitely don’t want to miss.
De Buyl continues, “A fantastic debut author who might not be on your radar yet is Nicole Flattery. Her incisive short stories were published by The Stinging Fly a few years ago, but her debut novel Nothing Special is a total banger, a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of Andy Warhol’s factory. She’s going to be at the festival on 24th May alongside equally brilliant upstart, Dizz Tate.”
She concludes, “If you’re interested in international writing, I’d really recommend Deena Mohamed. Her debut graphic novel uses a fantastical premise (what if wishes were available for sale to the highest bidder?) to take a close look at our world today. As the story was translated from Arabic, the reader reads the book from left to right!”
For children, books are often the key that unlocks their imagination. The team at ILFD go above and beyond to facilitate families and inspire new generations of readers. Janet Smyth has worked as ILFD’s Family and Children’s Events Programmer since 2021. Smyth describes the importance of encouraging children to read and how the festival plays a part in this.
“Children are, intrinsically, story seekers, it’s what their whole world is built around,” Smyth says. “What the festival does is offer as many fun and surprising ways into stories and books as possible and, essentially, in ways that let the children be a part of the story. This year, we have Clash of the Cartoons where the audience challenges three illustrators to draw their stories, The Happiness Collectors is an immersive, interactive performance that is part silent disco meets scavenger hunt, and Jo Hall will get small people making their own little books.”
Smyth continues, “Humour is a magic gateway into reading and Irish children’s writers excel. Shane Hegarty (Shop of Impossible Ice-Creams), Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl) and Derek Landy (Skulduggery Pleasant) are like stand-up comedians for kids when they talk about their work. Every event is interactive whether with sing and dance-alongs with shows such as One Button Benny, The Spectacular Storm Whale with Benji Davies or Paul Linnet’s Supertato Saves the Day or creating comics with Aoife Dooley or a superhero with Sophy Henn. Children learn by example and so enjoying time at Merrion Square Park where they will see their peers and adults also enjoying books, reading and meeting authors is all part of the recipe to inspire the youngest reader to be a lifelong lover of books.”
Festival director Aimée van Wylick reflects on how ILFD’s story keeps growing. “The festival has evolved considerably over the last 26 years. When it began back in 1998, the festival predominantly featured homegrown talent and ran over a long weekend. Gradually, over the years it grew to become a 7 day festival in 2013 and then 9 days in 2019 with events being programmed in venues across the city. And now here we are taking over one of the city’s most beautiful green spaces and filling it with ten days of unforgettable literary magic for curious minds of all ages!”
Finally, van Wylick shares some of her favourite moments from the festival. “It’s been a great privilege to welcome people to events like Seamus Heaney’s 70th birthday celebration in the National Concert Hall (you could hear a pin drop) and an unforgettable conversation between the great Werner Herzog and Carlo Gebler. We’ve been so lucky to play host to a whole host of iconic writers from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Kazuo Ishiguro to Elif Shafak and Salman Rushdie. This year is sure to create more memorable moments that we hope will stay with people long after they’ve left the park.”
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