At the Belfast International arts festival on 23 October 4-6 pm in a special event arranged with the Institut Francais, you can book tickets to watch online here.
Dominique Barbéris & Gaëlle Josse | Belfast International Arts Festival, Virtual Events
Gaëlle is the author of The Last Days of Ellis Island, translated into English by Natasha Lehrer and winner of the European Union literature prize.
The Last Days of Ellis Island is a subtle, tender novel about the closure in 1954 of the immigration inspection station on New York’s Ellis Island. In a series of diary entries it tells the story of the “huddled masses” who come to America seeking freedom and a new life, through the viewpoint of a retiring immigration officer.
“Josse’s portrait of a conflicted man weighing up his life’s joys and regrets is poignant and affecting, and a stark beauty shines out from its melancholy, sombre prose.” The Herald Scotland
“There is a lot packed into this slim book…the language is lyrical and the translation never jars, though the lack of variation in sentence structure is a minor irritant. The courage of the migrants is brought alive through all the noise, dirt, fear and melancholy.” Irish Independent