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Remarks by IMPAC Chairman Jim Irwin
Dublin - June 18, 2004
GOOD EVENING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WITH YOUR KIND INDULGENCE, MAY I INTRODUCE OUR DISTINGUISHED PARTICIPANTS AND GUESTS FOR TONIGHT'S AWARD DINNER.
THE DEPUTY LORD MAYOR OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN, COUNCILOR DEIRDRE HENEY
THE MAN WITH WHOM I BEGAN EXPLORING, IN 1992, 3 YEARS BEFORE THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH, THE IDEA OF AN INTERNATIONAL LITERARY AWARD WITH DUBLIN AS THE VENUE, THE MAN WHO IS TRULY MY PARTNER IN CO-FOUNDING AND INITIATING THE INTERNATIONAL IMPAC DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD, THE NEWLY ELECTED MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND TD, MY GOOD FRIEND OF MANY YEARS, THE HONORABLE GAY MITCHELL.
OUR GREAT SUPPORTER DUBLIN CITY MANAGER JOHN FITZGERALD
AND THE ENERGETIC PROMOTER OF DUBLIN AND ALL THINGS CULTURAL AND IRISH (SHE SAYS THEY ARE ONE IN THE SAME) DUBLIN CITY LIBRARIAN, DIERDRE ELLIS KING
CHAIRMAN OF THE AWARDS COMMITTEE AND TIRELESS WORKER IN THE PROMOTION OF THE IMPAC DUBLIN AWARD, EILEEN HENDRICK,
THE IMPAC AWARDS COORDINATOR AND THE PERSON WE ALL DEPEND ON, LINDA FITZGERALD
THE PRESS OFFICER OF THE DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL, HUGH FAHEY
THE AWARDS ADMINISTRATOR, CLARE HOGAN
FROM THE NEW PRESS IN NEW YORK CITY AND PARIS, THE PUBLISHER OF "THE BLINDING ABSENCE OF LIGHT, ANDRE SCHIFFRIN
FROM THE BEAUTIFUL CITY OF STOCKHOLM REPRESENTING ALL THE PARTICIPATING LIBRARIES, PATRICK SCHYLSTROM
AND FROM THE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICE OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN,
MARY MURPHY AND NEASA KANE
AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, AMBASSADOR DESIGNATE TO ARGENTINA, KEN THOMPSON
HIS ELELANCIES:
AGUSTIN BASAVA AMBASSADOR FROM MEXICO
STEWART ELDON AMBASSADOR FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM
JAMES KENNY AMBASSADOR FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
DR. VIKROM KOOMPIRO AMBASSADOR FROM THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND
MARK MOHER AMBASSADOR FROM CANADA
WITOLD SOBKOW AMBASSADOR FROM POLAND
PATRICK THOMAS CULTURAL COUNCILLOR FROM THE FRENCH EMBASSY
MINA TOUNSI CHARGE D'AFFAIRE MORROCAN EMBASSY
ALSO, WE ARE HONORED TONIGHT TO HAVE WITH US:
CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF IRELAND, JUSTICE RONAN KEANE
MR. JUSTICE VIVIAN LAVAN
MR. JUSTICE ADRIAN HARDIMAN
THE JUDGES FOR THIS YEARS 9TH ANNUAL IMPAC/DUBLIN INTERNATIONAL LITERARY AWARD PRESENT TONIGHT:
ANITA DESAI FROM THE USA
SHIRLEY GEOK-LIN LIM FROM THE USA AND MALAYSIA
JOHN QUINN FROM THE UK
MICHELE ROBERTS FROM THE UK
AND FINALLY, THE NON-VOTING CHAIRMAN OF THE JUDGING COMMITTEE, UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS SENIOR JUDGE, THE HONORABLE, EUGENE SULLIVAN
(I haven't been in a room with this many judges since my parole hearing)
SPECIAL MENTION SHOULD BE MADE FOR THE GENEROSITY OF WATERFORD CRYSTAL FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE IMPAC DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD AND THEIR DONATION FOR THESE LAST 9 YEARS OF THESE BEAUTIFUL TROPHIES..
AND, THOUGH HE IS PREOCCUPIED IN ASIA WITH IMPORTANT STATE BUSINESS ON BEHALF OF THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, I WANT TO MENTION OUR APPRECIATION TO IRELAND'S AMBASSADOR TO THAILAND DAN MULHALL FOR HIS ENERGETIC SUPPORT OF THE IMPAC YOUNG WRITERS PROGRAM IN MALAYSIA AND IN THAILAND WHERE OUR CO-SPONSOR "THE NATION" , THAILAND'S FOREMOST ENGLISH SPEAKING NEWSPAPER, WITH THE HELP AND COOPERATION OF KHUN PANA JANVIROJ , HELPS IN PROMOTING THE RECOGNITION OF YOUNG THAI WRITERS AND ANDY THIBAULT, [COLUMNIST FOR THE] CONNECTICUT LAW TRIBUNE FOR HIS 10YRS OF HARD WORK FOR THE IMPAC YOUNG WRITERS USA AWARDS.
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS ALL. GOOD EVENING.
As a student I was told by Jesuits, "good things, when brief, are twice as good" I intend to be brief.
Welcome to this, the 9th year of the Impac Dublin International Literary Award. Over those 9 years we have enjoyed our partnership with the Dublin City Library and the City Council.
But I am especially proud of the Impac people from around the world who have supported this award through good times and difficult times . Not only have they given full support to the Impac/Dublin Award, which we present tonight, but they have enthusiastically supported the expansion of the Impac Young Writers Literary Awards to include students from North America, South East Asia and Europe.
I HAVE ASKED FOR THE OPPORTUNITY, BEFORE WE GIVE DUE PRAISE (AND THE CHECK) TO OUR ESTEEMED AND TALENTED WINNING AUTHOR TAHAR BEN JELLOUN, TO TAKE A MOMENT AND ADDRESS OUR YOUNG WRITERS HERE TONIGHT.
I am honored to welcome the winners of the Impac Young Writers award from :
Malaysia: ASHVINI SUPRA MANIAM - for her work "YOUR TYPICAL MALAYSIAN DAY"
From North America, USA: Emily Dykes - for her story "The King"
And all the way from Chang Mai Thailand - the winner of the non Thai category:
Ester Joy McCarthy - for her story Khun Yai's Gift
And last but certainly not the least, the winner of the Thai category from Bangkok Thailand:
Chompunud Dang tavorn - for her winning story "OBEDIENCE"
Someday each of you may be back in Dublin to take the largest of them all, The INTERNATIONAL IMPAC DUBLIN LITERARY Award which tonight, FOR HIS POWERFUL AND INTENSE NOVEL….THE BLINDING ABSENCE OF LIGHT, WILL BE PRESENTED TO: Tahar Ben Jelloun,
WE OWE OUR GRATITUDE AND RECOGNITION FOR SUPERB TRANSLATION OF THIS WORK, DONE ORIGINALLY IN FRENCH AND TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY: Linda Coverdale (SHE'S FROM BROOKLYN)
Tonight belongs to Tahar Ben Jelloun, tomorrow belongs to the young writers and they have traveled thousands of miles to be here tonight. I'd like to briefly speak to them.
Tahar Ben Jelloun started writing as a teenager, so this may just be the beginning of your journey in life.
As we sit here tonight Dublin, by some accounts, is the 14th most expensive city in the world. Here we may easily come to believe life is without ugliness, suffering and pain. Too often even age makes some of us apologists for the sins of our generation
And yet within the life span of my Irish grandfather , my father and myself and the space it takes a modern jet plane to fly 4 hours, numerous barbaric wars have been fought, massive genocide committed and pestilence ignored for profit, killing millions of innocent people, often in the names of god or for the vanity of tyrants.
Through this, countless writers, including Tahar Ben Jelloun, have suffered for justice and still struggle in many countries, so you young writers ..may write and express yourselves freely.
Young writers you may not be recognized by your school mates as SPORTS heroes
You may not get trophies or receive recognition of any sort for your efforts to write.
But you are on the first steps of a journey requiring great courage and faith in yourself……
Courage because tyrants detest writers.
Writers and story tellers slay tyranny with words.
Free writers make people "think" and that's dangerous for those who oppress others.
And essential for democracies and free peoples
As we sit here in the 14th most expensive city in the world, 209 writers are tonight imprisoned around the world for making people "think", 34 writers and journalists have been killed so far this year.
That's appalling!
But you, young writers from North America, Thailand and Malaysia, for just writing you have started along a courageous path. Pursue your dreams to become writers and someday your writing may lift the veil of this "blinding absence of light" from oppressed men and women.
200 years ago A poet wrote;
"but words are things
and a small drop of ink
falling like dew, upon a thought,
produces that which makes thousands
perhaps millions
THINK.
Congratulations to you all and thank you for coming. ENJOY YOUR EVENING.