The ALIBI Program (Bilateral Literary Workshop) has been coordinated by Annie Bergeret Curien at the FMSH since 2002. It is supported by the National Book Center. Its goal is to foster ongoing dialogue about writing, creation, translation, and literary studies and exchanges between the Chinese and French literary worlds.
ALIBI Workshops
Several times a year, the Program organizes ALIBI workshops. They bring together one Chinese writer and one French writer as well as translators and researchers. Texts produced during the workshops are published in French and Chinese journals. The seminars are recorded and are diffused on the internet – on the French/Chinese Literary Worlds site – and have given rise to several published works. Meetings are most often held in Paris, but are also held in China (Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Beijing). The program intends on expanding its scope so that it can touch various audiences with its diverse types of activities.
Fourteen workshops were held between 2002 and 2007. The most recent workshop on the “kaleidoscope” topic was held in Hong Kong in April 2007.
Two workshops will be held in 2008: One on the topic of “remnants” will be held in September in Shanghai. In November, the workshop will come back to Paris to address the subject of “legends.”
"Interlude" Meetings
Since 2005, “Interlude” meetings have been enriching and pursuing the comparative spirit fostered by the ALIBI workshops. Unlike the workshops, which focus on writing works of fiction (by both writers and translators), the “Interlude” meetings look at theoretical aspects. They are a place where authors and other literary actors can compare and contrast their viewpoints on issues touching on the act of writing.
From 2005 to 2007, seven “Interlude” meetings were held. The most recent was held in 2007 in Beijing on the subject:"L’Writing Drives Cinema - Novel and Cinematographic Writing".
In May 2008, an “Interlude” meeting was held on the topic “Poetic Anthologies – An Exercise Transcending Centuries and Borders.”
Program Coordinator: Annie Bergeret Curien
