A Cuirting in Galway

THEATRE and the visual arts share the stage with an impressive gathering of poets and novelists at the 12th Cuirt International Festival of Literature which opens in Galway on Tuesday with a reading by the 1991 Booker winner, Ben Okri.

It is an imaginatively diverse programme which brings together the Australian novelist David Malouf, winner of the inaugural International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award; with Ireland's Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney; novelist John Banville on the eve of the publication of The Untouchable - his 10th novel; in the company of British poet Carol Ann Duffy; Beckett biographer Anthony Cronin; Cuirt favourite, Jamaican born dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson; and writer Colm Toibin.

An exhibition of new and recent abstract landscapes by one of Ireland's leading artists, Sean McSweeney, will be on show at the Galway Arts Centre until May 10th, while John Minihan's acclaimed collection of Beckett photographs, featuring the writer in London rehearsal and at home in Paris will be displayed at An Taibhdhearc in Middle Street. Continuing with the Beckett theme Anthony Cronin reads from his biography Beckett - the Last Modern on Friday at 1 p.m., while actor Barry McGovern reads a selection of Beckett's poetry and prose on Saturday afternoon.

The scene then switches to Galway's Town Hall Theatre Beckett's fellow Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney reads from his own work as well as from some translations made by him of other poems which appear in The School Bag, a companion anthology to The Rattle Bag, which he also co edited with Ted Hughes.

Other highlights include Fintan O'Toole's Cuirt lecture on criticism on Thursday, while the singular American poet and undertaker, Thomas Lynch, launches The Undertaking, a collection of essays. On Wednesday, Jewish American poet Samuel Menashe shares the platform with the poet John Agard, who will also feature in Cuirt's children's Saturday programme along with Patricia Forde, Marita Conlon McKenna and Gurgling With Jelly author, performance poet Brian Patten.

Two former Whitbread poetry prize winners, Michael Donaghy and Bernard O'Donoghue, also feature, while on Saturday, Druid's artistic director Garry Hynes directs the first public performance reading of Martin McDonagh's new play, The Pillowman. Playwright, actor and writer Donal O'Kelly reads from his work. Aspiring poets should note this year's Poet's Platform takes place on Friday at 3 p.m.

Cuirt 97 closes on Sunday, April 20th with a tribute to the Scots Gaelic poet Sorley McLean who died last year.