Interviews, literary performances and unique creations are once again at the heart of FIL for this 29th edition. This is how we will be able to attend, at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, a musical setting of the text Nothing will kill my light, by the Innu poet Maya Cousineau Mollen, by the Anishinaabe composer Barbara Assiginaak, sung by the Innu soprano Elisabeth St-Gelais (three performances on September 30). Let Our Joy Remain, Kevin Lambert’s most recent novel, will be the subject of a stage adaptation presented at Usine C (September 24 and 25), as will Niagara, by Catherine Mavrikakis (September 22 and 23). september). The Literary Midis will also be back on the quiet Esplanade, from September 25 to 29 – the ideal opportunity to attend cross-discussions with authors like Ayavi Lake, Dimitri Nasrallah, Heather O’Neill and Karoline Georges.
With Catherine Ringer and her show L’érotisme de vivre opening the festival, there is no doubt that the FIL evenings will be colorful, starting with the Cabaret de la pensee which took place the following evening at the Lion d’or (with Mélikah Abdelmoumen, Paul Ahmarani and Pascale Montpetit, among many others). At the Librairie du Square d’Outremont, we are preparing a tribute to Brigitte Fontaine which will bring together, among others, Louise Bombardier, Denise Desautels, Diane Régimbald and Rodney Saint-Éloi (September 24). Edgar Bori will offer his first solo on stage in nearly 30 years of career with Poésinutiles (September 26 at the Théâtre d’Outremont), while the Théâtre aux Écuries will present over three evenings the theatrical adaptation of Simon Roy’s novel My Red Life Kubrick (September 27, 28, 29). The festival will conclude at Usine C with the Literary Ball on September 30, with songs chosen by five writers who intend to make the room vibrate.
The youngest will also be part of the party at FIL since the artist Kesso and the author Lula Carballo are waiting for children aged 5 and over for a workshop to create an art and poetry book, based on their illustrated album Together we travel (September 23, at the Librairie du Square d’Outremont). Another must-see event of the festival is the musical tale The Great Chef Salamoo Cook is Coming to Town!, by Tomson Highway, which will be presented in French with Cree songs on September 24 at the Théâtre d’Outremont. Wellington Street, in Verdun, will also welcome young readers with the Public Reader brigade, which will offer spontaneous readings to passers-by on September 27. A literary improvisation match is planned for the same day at the Librairie de Verdun.
Unable to make the trip? The FIL also has a rich and varied digital scene – accessible free of charge throughout the duration of the event. This year, we will be able to discover the Marseille literary scene through recordings of the literary festival Oh les belles jours!, which has been held in the spring in Marseille since 2017. Among the interviews that will be posted online, we will not want to miss the one with Christine Angot, hosted by Laure Adler and Nicolas Lafitte, or with Emmanuelle Bayamack-Tam. In the P’tites vue du FIL series, we will be entitled, among others, to readings such as those of The Sudbury Arsonist, by Chloé LaDuchesse, by Pascale Montpetit (followed by an interview with the author), and from When I say nothing I still think, by Camille Readman Prud’homme. There will also be podcasts to listen to, created as part of Les Parleuses from reading and writing sessions, performances and conferences.
