Literature at Kilkenny Arts Festival

The 2006 Kilkenny Arts Festival 'promises to ignite the Marble City with an explosion of art, drama, music, literature, dance, comedy and colour between the 11th and 20th of August,' according to a statement from the Arts Festival office this week.

It's expected that this years festival will showcase the very best of the arts from both home and abroad and some highlights include a sensational festival parade, performances by the world renowned Argento Chamber Ensemble, an Asian flavoured evening entitled Masala!, stunning visual arts exhibitions inspired by the theme of ‘Failure’, plus readings by best selling authors Darren Shan and Alex Barclay for the literary enthusiasts. Other musical gems include dance floor jazz from the Five Corner’s Quintet; the return of the breathtaking Ex Cathedra in St Canice’s Cathedral; authentic trad music from Téada & Beoga, as well as funky afrobeat sounds from Nigerian Femi Kuti. Add to that more top acts including the hilarious comedians The Ornate Johnsons; theatre from the acclaimed French group Fiat Lux; hip hop for the kids with the Mayhem Poets plus much much more and it becomes clear that the Kilkenny Arts Festival has a treat in store for everyone.

The writers for this year’s festival, programmed by Eoin McNamee, have been chosen to reflect a whole spectrum of work within the crime/thriller genre. David Peace and Gordon Burn represent the leading edge of crime writing. Alex Barclay and Adrian McKinty are two of the most exciting talents in a new generation of Irish crime and thriller writers; Tobias Hill’s phantom fictions stretch the boundaries of crime fiction; and Eoin McNamee is back with a genre-defying exposition of the strange death of Diana Spencer in Paris in August 1997, entitled “12:23”, to be published in spring 2007, completing a literary line up to entertain and thrill!

To book tickets or for more information on the festival check out www.kilkennyarts.ie or call 00 353 (0) 56 775 2175. Booking opens Wednesday July 5.

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