The RCWT is delighted to announce, in conjunction with the Embassy of France, that the next French writer-in-residence at Randell Cottage will be Titaua Peu coming to us from Tahiti. She will take up her residency in Wellington in early 2025.
Randell Cottage marks the death of our 2003 French writer-in-residence with these memories from our Trustee Jean Anderson.
Applications are invited for next year’s French residency at Randell Cottage, with a closing date of 30 April.
Julien Blanc-Gras addressed a large French-speaking audience in Wellington on the evening of 22 March, as part of ‘Le Mois de la Francophonie’ hosted by the Alliance Française. His talk reflected the wry, humorous and insightful style that he brings to his published works.
During the month of March, the Alliance Française is hosting a range of different events, designed to showcase French-speaking countries and cultures, and the diversity of the French language. Two of these feature Randell Cottage resident, Julien Blanc-Gras.
On a perfect Wellington evening, Friends and Trustees of the Randell Cottage Writers Trust, along with French Embassy representatives, gathered at the home of Pip and Simon Murdoch to meet Julien Blanc-Gras and his wife Aurore.
The 2024 French laureate has just taken up residence in Randell Cottage. Julien Blanc-Gras and his son were welcomed at Wellington Airport by representatives of the Randell Cottage Writers Trust and the Embassy of France.
After a whirlwind two-month stay, Caroline Laurent is on her way back to France via Tahiti, which will be one of the settings of the novel she has been working on during her residency. Caroline was enthusiastic about the writing she has already completed and the lasting friendships she has developed in New Zealand. Trustees Jean Anderson and Christine Hurley farewelled Caroline from Randell Cottage and look forward to news of her safe return home.
Julien Blanc-Gras now joins the prestigious tradition of writers in residence at Randell Cottage, where he will reside in Wellington from January to May 2024.
Julien Blanc-Gras is a writer, traveller, journalist, and father, and has explored the four corners of the world, drawing inspiration from his journeys for many of his works.
His debut book, Gringoland, was awarded at the First Novel Festival in Chambéry in 2005. Among his other works are Paradise (before Liquidation) and A Bit of a Special Envoy, written during the lockdown to counter the prevailing atmosphere.
He has also contributed extensively to the print media, with publications in renowned outlets such as M le magazine du Monde, L’Obs, Philosophie magazine, Le Temps, Le 1, Long cours, Aller-Retour, GQ, Technikart, and Grazia. He is also a presence on Radio France with the podcast Oli and a travel column on France Inter, as well as on Radio Nova with a literary column.
Following the birth of his son and his account of his experiences during his partner’s pregnancy in In Utero, he was entrusted with a column in Parents magazine. In his novel Like in War, he continues to explore the theme of fatherhood in our modern world.
Further reading
Watch an interview with Julien Blanc-Gras