Celia de Fréine, "Aibítir Aoise : Alphabet of an Age"

Arlen House presents the launch of Celia de Fréine’s new poetry collection, Aibítir Aoise : Alphabet of an Age, on Wednesday 29 June at 7pm in the Irish Writers’ Centre

Seánra Polannach, ina dtairgtear cuireadh don údar a bhfuil tugtha faoi deara i rith a s(h)aoil aige/aici a phlé, is ea an Leabhar Aibítre. Scríofa go hiondúil i bprós, tá sé athchóirithe i bhfoirm fhileata anseo. Míreanna dírbheathaisnéiseacha, mar aon le tuairiscí orthu siúd a bhfuil clú agus cáil bainte amach acu, a bhíonn faoi chaibidil go hiondúil ann. Lúbtar an dearcadh seo agus, cé go n-ainmnítear daoine a raibh baint acu le saolú dánta áirithe, is ar ghné fhileata an tsaothair a dhírítear. Toisc go bhfuil an seánra aistrithe go Gaeilge, ní aithnítear ach na hocht litreacha déag a bhain go traidisiúnta le haibítir na teanga sin.

The Alphabet Book is a Polish genre that invites the author to discuss what (s)he has observed during his/her life. Usually written in prose, it has here been adapted to poetic form. Autobiographical sketches and accounts of the famous are often the subject of the genre. Liberties have been taken with this approach, and while people who inspired certain poems are mentioned, the focus is on the poetic aspect of the work. As the genre has been transposed to Irish, it recognises only the eighteen letters traditionally found in that language’s alphabet.

Is file, drámadóir, scriptscríbhneoir agus leabhrógaí í Celia de Fréine. Tá ceithre leabhar filíochta i gcló aici: Faoi Chabáistí is Ríonacha (CIC, 2001), Fiacha Fola (CIC, 2004), Scarecrows at Newtownards (Scotus Press, 2005) agus imram : odyssey (Arlen House, 2010). I measc na ngradam liteartha atá buaite aici dá cuid filíochta tá Duais Patrick Kavanagh (1994) agus Gradam Litríochta Chló Iar-Chonnachta (2004). Bhain sí Duais an Oireachtais do Dhráma ilghníomh ceithre huaire. D’fhoilsigh Arlen House trí cinn de na drámaí seo in Mná Dána i 2009. Sa bhliain chéanna chuir Amharclann na Mainistreach i láthair léiriú cleachta den dráma Casadh a coimisiúnaíodh uaithi. Taispeánadh na gearrscannáin Lorg, Seal agus Cluiche, bunaithe ar dhánta léi, i bhféilte in Éirinn agus i Meiriceá i 2007 agus 2008. I gcomhar le Biju Viswanath scríobh sí an scannán Marathon a bhain an duais don script is fearr ag Féile Idirnáisiúnta Scannán Nua-Eabhrac i 2009. Sa bhliain 2009 léirigh Living Opera, i gcomhar le Opera Ireland, taispeántas den cheoldráma The Earl of Kildare, cumtha ag Fergus Johnston, ar scríobh sí an leabhróg dó. www.celiadefreine.com

Celia de Fréine is a poet, playwright, screenwriter and librettist who writes in Irish and English. She has published four collections of poetry: Faoi Chabáistí is Ríonacha (2001) and Fiacha Fola (2004) from Cló Iar-Chonnacht, Scarecrows at Newtownards (Scotus Press, 2005) and imram ¦ odyssey (Arlen House, 2010). Her poetry has won many awards including the Patrick Kavanagh Award (1994) and Gradam Litríochta Chló Iar-Chonnachta (2004). She has four times won Duais an Oireachtais for best full-length play. Arlen House published three of these plays in Mná Dána (2009). In the same year the Abbey Theatre presented a rehearsed reading of her play Casadh which it had commissioned. The short films Lorg, Seal and Cluiche, inspired by her poems, have been shown in festivals in Ireland and the US. In association with Biju Viswanath, she wrote the film Marathon which won best screenplay award at the New York International Film Festival in 2009. Also in 2009 Living Opera, in association with Opera Ireland, presented a showcase performance of the opera, The Earl of Kildare, composed by Fergus Johnston, for which she wrote the libretto. www.celiadefreine.com