The Talkers and Dubravka Ugrešić

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In a house, behind a window, two women are talking. We hear. A traveling initiative named after the recorded exchanges between writers Marguerite Duras and Xavière Gauthier, the Parleuses are dedicated to reviving literary heritage by bringing together a contemporary and a historical author, in a pairing composed especially for the occasion. For this 45th edition, writer Salomé Kiner has chosen to talk to us about Croatian author Dubravka Ugrešić (1949-2023).
Dubbed a "witch" and "public enemy" in her native country, Dubravka Ugrešić is a leading figure in Croatian feminism and anti-nationalism. Exiled to the Netherlands, her satirical stories and novels have won her numerous awards, including the Charles Veillon European Essay Prize for The Culture of Lies. Born to a Russian father and an Italian-Swiss mother, novelist and journalist Salomé Kiner tells the story of Dubravka Ugrešić in her own words, in her own language. As a contemporary author, she reads an unpublished text inspired by the historical author.