LITERARY ENCOUNTER – HÉLÈNE GAUDY

Exploring Memory and Images

Entering the work of Hélène Gaudy means embarking on an adventure toward unknown lands, continents, and archipelagos, where even the faintest traces lead to the memory of places and images.

Born in Paris in 1979, French writer Hélène Gaudy studied at the École nationale supérieure des arts appliqués et des métiers d’art and later at the École supérieure des arts décoratifs de Strasbourg. Her novels bear the mark of a strongly visual and poetic aesthetic. In 2004, she joined the literary collective Inculte, alongside writers such as Arno Bertina, Mathias Enard, and Maylis de Kerangal.

In her work, she explores the delicate relationship between image and text, between documentary and fiction. Un monde sans rivage (2019) reconstructs, from rediscovered photographs and fragmentary archives, S. A. Andrée’s failed polar expedition, between history and memory. Archipels (2024) retraces the life of her father, a collector of diverse objects. She is also the author of several children’s novels and art books, including Matisse, l’éblouissement de la couleur (2011) and Picasso, le magicien des formes (2013).

Selected among the four finalists for the Prix Goncourt in 2024, Hélène Gaudy is a major voice in contemporary French literature, distinguished by her rare ability to explore reality through a dual documentary and poetic lens worthy of the greatest writers.

Hélène Gaudy will be joined by Christophe Flubacher, journalist, lecturer, and art historian, who will lead the discussion.

The event will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

CHF 10.– per person | Free for Friends of Fondation Opale and with Abobo
Booking recommended: online ticketing

Photo : Brigitte Blaquart