Paris-based author Kathleen Curtin draws inspiration from Irish childhood
UCC graduate Kathleen Curtin has published several short stories, but last Thursday, she launched her debut thriller, Madame Lune, at Cork City Library.
Reflecting on her influences, she said:“I was lucky to grow up on a small farm in west Limerick within the Sliabh Luachra region, an area steeped in music, dance, and storytelling.
“I was especially enthralled by those characters hailing from another era.
“I was mesmerised by the weathered faces, their wit, and tales of ghosts and fairies. While people were devoutly religious, they were equally canny, superstitious and rebellious. They became my study and the foundation book that nourished me as a writer.”
She also recalled the impact of her school days in Tournafulla: “Writing compositions was an integral part of homework and I grabbed every opportunity to unleash my imagination.
“I recall taking myself off to secret places, in ditches or rushy fields, to write little stories.”
Full house for @kitybern and the launch of her new book #MadameLune @OpenBooksTitles @corkcitylibrary pic.twitter.com/M7jVJiwY25
— Máire Fitzgerald (@ThisIsMaire) November 12, 2015
In her late teens, Kathleen moved from west Limerick to study at University College Cork and there wrote a thesis on folk beliefs in her home parish.
Of her time in Cork, she said: “I found a home from home in UCC and the city itself. Falling in love with geography was easy because of the freedom it allowed to combine folklore, history, anthropology, sociology and multiple ways of understanding people and place.
“Working on a thesis taught me the discipline of research and the solitariness of the scholar. The transition to writing seemed natural.”
Kathleen was awarded a PhD degree for her thesis as well as a scholarship that took her to Paris.
@CorkEveningEcho covers Kathleen Curtin's Madame Lune. @kitybern #books
— Open Books (@OpenBooksTitles) November 5, 2015
Grab your copy:https://t.co/2ZkzovUDtz pic.twitter.com/Q5QHIVyDKZ
Madame Lune, delves into the lives of characters who live in that city but continually reference their Irishness. It looks at what it is like to be a successful immigrant but also what it means to live on the margins.
Kathleen said: “Paris spawned my curiosity about life on the margins. One of the first areas I lived in was Pigalle. It’s bursting with tourists, trinket sellers, artists, and of course home to the regular Parisian. But it’s also the heart of the red light district, with scores of prostitutes, drug dealers, shady characters, and thieves.”
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