Kevin Barry at the European Short Story Festival, Zagreb, 2010
Irish short story writer, Kevin Barry, attended the Festival of the European Short Story in Zagreb this year. Now in its fifth year, the Festival (FESS) has hosted seventy writers from fifteen European countries. As well as readings, the Festival holds translation workshops and each year publishes an anthology of stories by participants.
Kevin took some time to tell us about his experience of the 2010 Festival:
It was a splendid affair, and a hugely valuable experience. I took part in two events at the Festival. I read, to a full hall, from my story collection There Are Little Kingdoms, with a Croatian translation projected on the screen behind, and I shared a stage on this particular evening with writers from Croatia, Catalonia, Finland and New Zealand.
I also read for, and discussed publishing and the Irish short story, with students at the university of Zagreb. This event was presented with Declan Meade of the Stinging Fly Press, and facilitated by Dr Aidan O'Malley at the university.
It was a most particular pleasure to spend lots of time with the great and reknowned New Zealand writer, C.K. Stead, who immediately became a kindred spirit.
The Croatian hosts, I should say, are fantastic. The event is terrifically well organised, very well advertised locally and well attended. I hope to be asked again at some point, and I'm recommending other Irish story writers to the organisers.
Kevin Barry's first collection of short stories, There are Little Kingdoms (2007) was published by the Stinging Fly Press and he was awarded the 2007 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature.