Arno Camenisch. Spoken Word Concert
Saturday November 25. 2023, 5.30pm
Performance runs for approx. 1h
Accompaniment: Goodbye Ivan (guitar)
In partnership with the Fureur de lire 2023, Geneva
Free admission, by reservation only here
The Graubünden-born author and performer Arno Camenisch will be presenting a unique spoken-word performance of some of his texts. Funny and deep, his stories are a direct connection with life’s core. On stage, Camenisch will be accompanied by a musician playing electric guitar. Carried along by the music, his texts become songs and the exercise in reading out loud a concert. Languages and sounds come to life like never before.
Interview with Arno Camenisch
What does the oral performance of your texts represent for you with regard to writing?
On stage, texts are given a voice. A live performance only ever exists once. That means that each performance is unique. That’s what I love about performance. And it is always a form of exchange with the audience as well – there is something going on at that moment, a kind of magic.
You speak several languages. How does shifting from one language to another transform the written and oral experience of the text?
I grew up in several languages and I’ve always been fascinated by different languages. It’s something that I live on stage. A performance is a kind of concert, rhythm, sound.
How do you choose the excerpts you recite during a concert ?
Choosing [the excerpts] is always something joyful – I read what I want to read. And of course, I write the texts for the performance, so it’s texts that I read only on stage, that aren’t recorded or published in a book. Therefore, they only exist on stage, which means “live” and therefore “spoken word.”
Arno Camenisch was born and grew up in Tavanas (Graubünden). He is a graduate of the Institut littéraire suisse in Biel. He published his first novel, Sez Ner, in 2009, which has been followed by 12 other books. His most recent publication is titled Die Welt (2022). His texts have been translated into more than 20 languages and his readings have led him around the world, from Hong Kong to New York, Paris to Buenos Aires. Camenisch regularly presents his work in performance and has received a number of awards. In March 2015, he directed the documentary film Arno Camenisch – Schreiben auf der Kante.
Photos © Etienne Malapert, 2023 et © Fureur de lire 2023 / Sandra Pointet.
