This year’s Louisiana Literature festival has a seriously exciting line-up.
Whether it be novels of cult status, groundbreaking history or Man Booker Prize hopes, the eclectic mix of authors and artists from across the globe promises to deliver for both literary enthusiasts and the more moderate bookworm.
Below are just some of the authors who will be participating in events in English, so be sure to check out the online program for a more comprehensive list.
Paul Auster
Thu 16:30; Sat 16:30
Certainly one of the biggest names at this year’s festival, Paul Auster shot to fame with The New York Trilogy in the 1980s and has been a prolific dispenser of fiction, poetry, essays and screenplays alike ever since. Catch him discussing his new book, 4 3 2 1, which has been longlisted for the 2017 Man Booker Prize, or watch him in conversation with his wife – author Siri Husvedlt – on Sunday.
Zadie Smith
Sat 15:30; Sun 12:30
Certainly one of the most influential active British writers alive today, Smith’s new novel, Swing Time, explores the dynamics of female friendship through a buoyant narrative alive with the palpable joy of music and dance. An astonishingly popular writer both within Scandinavia and globally, it’s advisable to get there early if you plan to see her speak.
Chris Kraus
Thu 18:00; Fri 14:00; Sun 14:00
Assuming cult status in 1998 following the publication of her epistolary ode to the cultural critic Dick ____, Chris Kraus has since witnessed a revival of interest in the novel I Love Dick following its successive reissuing. A self-proclaimed bible for the likes of Lena Dunham and Alexa Chung, Kraus remains a must-see for the modern feminist.
Colson Whitehead (mention Eduard Louis in conversation with)
Fri 19:00; Sun 14:30
Colson Whitehead could hardly have had a better year. Indeed, no other writer has. Barack Obama’s favourite writer published The Underground Railroad in 2016 and has since won the Pulitzer Prize, the Carnegie Medal and the National Book Award – and the shortlist for the Man Booker hasn’t even been announced yet!
