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Fictions

  • Fictions

With France Culture

Every summer, France Culture takes over the courtyard of the Musée Calvet for a week of readings, poetry, philosophy, and creative works. In harmony with the Avignon Festival’s program, its history, and the highlights of this year’s edition, France Culture is focusing this year on the big questions that literature poses to us. As is the case every year, iconic works will be performed by actors and actresses, alongside authors, musicians, and artists invited for the occasion.

Portraits of Vincent Dedienne, Emmanuelle Béart, Stanislas Nordey and Océane Caïraty © Guillaume Malheiro © Harold James © Jean-Louis Fernandez © Pauline Roussille

Presentation

Thirty years ago, in 1996, the sudden death of Didier-Georges Gabily at the age of forty sent shockwaves through contemporary theatre writing. Jean-Luc Lagarce had died the previous year, and Bernard-Marie Koltès in 1989. A novelist and playwright, Gabily developed a rich, literary language nourished by his engagement with Aeschylus, Robert Garnier and Paul Claudel. He also wrote numerous short texts and a Journal, published in two volumes by Actes Sud, the long-standing publisher of his work. At the origin of this evening is Stanislas Nordey, Gabily’s friend, who, since July 2025, has directed Éditions Espaces 34 and is publishing the previously unpublished Zoologie, the first volume of a forthcoming cycle.

“We do not belong to the landscape; something of us, of our bodies-faces-voices-thoughts, of us, subjects performing a few movements of theatre with the help of a few unfinished subjects of theatre, cannot be found there, cannot remain there, would like to go on eluding it. And we are about to pass: that is what should be said. We cannot stay there, in this old celebration; there was once a celebration, they say, and even some of us were part of it, found ourselves there, drew strength from it, perhaps. I am one of those.”

Distribution

With Emmanuelle Béart, Océane Caïraty, Vincent Dedienne and Stanislas Nordey
Music by Olivier Mellano
Directed by Sophie-Aude Picon
Assistant Director Alice Pic
The works of Didier-Georges Gabily are published by Actes Sud.
Selected excerpts from À tout va, Notes de travail, Violences, Chimère et autres bestioles and Contention.

Practical infos

Durée Duration : 1h

Free entrance

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