Presentation of the novel ‘Los reyes poetas’ (Demipage).
Thursday, 24th April 2014. 19:30 hours.
Three Cultures Foundation.
The French author Catherine François present his/her last published novel The poet kings (Demipage). Under this title, gathered together in a volume for the first time, Al-Mutasim of Almería y The passions of Al-Mutamid, a diptych that reflects, in parallel, the inner workings of the kingdom of Almería and the kingdom of Seville. To discuss its creation process, Catherine François will be in conversation with the musician and writer Santiago Auserón.
In this work, the author reconstructs the lives of the literary courts of Almería and Seville in the 11th century with absolute fidelity to historical facts. Her dramatised account succeeds in bringing to life characters that have hitherto been vague in scenes full of emotion, and highlights the role of poetry in the politics of the era.
The poet kings it also encompasses a round trip political journey. And within it, a utopia: that of imagining today, just as then, parliaments and governments in which poets shape aspects of public life and take part in decision-making. Beauty, politics and spirit have not always been at odds.
Following the conversation, there will be a dramatic reading between Catherine François and Santiago Auserón.
The poet kings it is the book under discussion in the book club Three with books during the months of April and May. In addition, this presentation forms part of the Al-Andalus Chair for the month of April.
Catherine François (Paris, 1953)
She studied French Literature at the University of the Sorbonne. In 1973 she began travelling to Spain and visiting Madrid, witnessing the cultural blossoming of the transition, the atmosphere of the Madrid avant-garde, and published her first articles. In 1985 she became interested in the poetry and thought of ancient China. She undertook studies in contemporary Chinese, which she later completed at the Language Institute of the Complutense University of Madrid, and researched the legends surrounding the Yellow River and its tributaries. She has published: The infinite city, Underwater roads, The missing tree y Al-Mu'tasim of Almería.
Santiago Auserón (Zaragoza, 1954)
He graduated with a degree in Philosophy and Literature from the Complutense University of Madrid, and studied at the Université de Vincennes, Paris VIII, under the direction of Gilles Deleuze. He participated in the founding of the musical group Radio Futura, with which he developed his role as a singer and songwriter for over a decade, reflected in half a dozen albums, and achieved recognition in Spain and Latin America as the best Spanish rock band. Between 1984 and 1995 he investigated the roots of traditional Cuban son and produced several historical anthologies, including that of Francisco Repilado Compay Segundo. In 1994, he launched the project Juan Perro, with which he has since investigated the relationships between African-American, Afro-Caribbean and Hispanic musical traditions, and has released another half-dozen albums of original songs, among which stands out Rio Negro (La Huella Sonora, 2011). He has published articles and essays on music, philosophy and literature and the books The sound image (Episteme, 1998), Radio Futura songs (Pre-Textos, 1999), Songs by Juan Perro (Salto de Página, 2012) and The lost rhythm (Península, 2012). Her accolades include the Max Award for Performing Arts (2001), the Gold Medal of Santa Isabel de Portugal from the Provincial Council of Zaragoza (2002), and the National Award for Contemporary Music from the Ministry of Culture (2011). She is currently working on her doctoral thesis on music in ancient Greek thought and is touring Spain, Europe and the Americas with two musical projects: the acoustic duo Juan Perro - Casa en el aire, with the Catalan guitarist Joan Vinyals, and the combo Juan Perro & La Zarabanda, from which he has just released a homonymous CD-book-DVD (La Huella Sonora, 2013).
Co-organised with Demipage.
Free admission until full capacity is reached.
Portuguese