Stig Dagerman (1923-1954) was a prolific Swedish writer and journalist and a true symbol of post-war European literature. He was attracted by unionism and anarchism from an early age, and his life was marked not only by his travels and his struggles against inequality but also by depression. Before he committed suicide in 1954 at the age of 31, he wrote the poignant essay Our need for consolation is insatiable, a texte that is more relevant and popular than ever.
Why is he still so successful in France? A panel of personalities will be discussing this question:
- Fatou Diome, writer, admirer of Stig Dagerman’s work
- Aris Fioretos, Swedish writer and translator
- Claude Le Manchec, holder of a PhD in linguistics from EHESS and author of the preface to Lettres choisies (Selected Letters) by Stig Dagerman to be published on 6 March by Actes Sud, translated by Olivier Gouchet
- Aret Madilian, musician and member of the group Deleyaman, who has performed several concerts with readings of the French version of Our need for consolation is insatiable
The discussion will be moderated by Sylvain Briens, lecturer in Scandinavian literature and cultural history at the Sorbonne.
Before the discussion, we’ll be screening the film Vårt behov av tröst (Our Need For Consolation) by Dan Levy Dagerman, based on a screenplay by Dan Levy Dagerman and Lou Dagerman, based on the original text by Stig Dagerman and its French translation.
Notre besoin de consolation est impossible à rassasier is published by Actes Sud, translated by Philippe Bouquet.
Useful information
- Admission free while seats last.
- The discussion will be in French.