Angst by Hélène Cixous: Sophie Lewis, Juliet Jacques, and Emily LaBarge

‘Language in Cixous’s hands is molten, constantly opening onto fresh possibilities.’ Maggie Nelson, author of The Argonauts

In Hélène Cixous’s novel Angst, newly translated by Sophie Lewis, the iconic French feminist writer and theorist creates a unique, unpredictable voice to express powerful anguish and, ultimately, catharsis.

In 1975, Cixous devised the term écriture féminine to describe a uniquely female style of writing. Sophie Lewis, Juliet Jacques and chair Emily Labarge discuss écriture féminine and the influence of Cixous’s thought on their own writing and experimental and avant-garde writers and artists. They will explore Lewis’ translation of Angst and Cixous’s disruptions in the text – gaps, silences and puns – that convey the unshakeable demand for freedom at its heart.

Juliet Jacques is a writer and filmmaker based in London. She has published six books, including Trans: A Memoir (2015), Variations (2021) and The Woman in the Portrait (2024). Her fiction, journalism and essays have appeared in numerous publications, and her short films have screened across the world. She teaches at the Royal College of Art and elsewhere.

Emily LaBarge is a Canadian writer based in London. Her essays and criticism have appeared in Granta, The London Review of Books, Artforum, Bookforum, Frieze, and The Paris Review, amongst others. She is a regular contributor to The New York Times and 4Columns. Dog Days is her first book.

Sophie Lewis is a London-born translator and editor. With Gitanjali Patel, she co-founded the Shadow Heroes translation workshops enterprise – www.shadowheroes.org. Lewis’s translations have been shortlisted for the Scott Moncrieff and Republic of Consciousness prizes, and longlisted for the International Booker Prize. She won the 2022 French-American Foundation prize for non-fiction translation with Nastassja Martin’s anthropology memoir In the Eye of the Wild.

Please note Hélène Cixous will not be present at this event.

The discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing. Your ticket includes a complimentary glass of wine.

Tickets: £10 General Admission, £8 Foyalty Member / £20 Book and Ticket, inc. a copy of Angst (RRP £14.99)
Venue: The Auditorium (Level 6) at Foyles, 107 Charing Cross Road*