Sebastian Barry Is Chevalier Des Arts Et Des Lettres
Sebastian Barry was named Chevalier in the French Ordre des Arts et Lettres by French Ambassador Céline Place at a ceremony in Dublin on the 10th of December 2024.
The honour reflects his tremendous contribution to Irish literature which has strongly echoed in France since the first French publication of his work in 1996.
Accepting the award, he said that he was deeply moved to receive the letter that he was to be awarded this radiant honour: 'Chevalier, heavens! Frankly I cried. Like many Irish people of many generations, I have strong feelings for France. I lived there as a passionate young writer of 22 in the belief that to be a writer it would be optimum to make a start in the city of literature. It was an instinct with deep historical roots. I was in love with the old houses and the river and the recompensing parks. The heroic tramps and the metro and the numbing winter. I was as poor as the proverbial mouse but rich because I was living in the speaking sculpture of the city. I always believe myself in my private mind to be a secret citizen, if I may be so bold as to say so, and this deeply honouring and honourable award seems quietly to frank my invisible passport. It calls me back to youth and anchors me as an older writer.'
Established in 1957, the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres rewards those who have made a significant contribution to artistic or literary creation and who have helped to spread arts and culture in France and further afield.
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