Friday 7th October:

Arrive 5.45pm. Boat returns 7.15pm

Tickets £15 

M. V. Kestrel at the Ardhowen Theatre jetty

Literature on The Lakes: Author Priscilla Morris in conversation with BBC journalist Julian Fowler, aboard the M. V. Kestrel.

Join us aboard the M.V. Kestrel for an atmospheric tour of the Erne waterways at sunset with author Priscilla Morris, who will be in conversation with BBC journalist Julian Fowler, as she reads from her exquisitely crafted debut novel, Black Butterflies. Inspired by the experiences of Priscilla's family members, the book tells the story of the siege of Sarajevo which occurred 30 years ago this year, and remains the longest siege in modern warfare.

The novel tells the story of events through the eyes of Zora, an artist and teacher whose studio was located in the Sarajevo old Town Hall, a building which housed the National and University Library of Bosnia. On August 25th, 1992, the building was shelled by Bosnia Serb nationalists. For days afterwards, the charred pages of books floated over the rooftops of Sarajevo. These ‘black butterflies’ inspired the title of Priscilla’s timely debut novel which has been described as ‘a work of love and mourning for a European country that no longer exists’.

The daughter of a Yugoslav mother and a Cornish father, Priscilla Morris grew up in London, spending summers in Sarajevo. She studied at Cambridge University and the University of East Anglia, where she gained her PhD in Creative Writing. She now teaches creative writing at University College Dublin and lives throughout the year between Ireland and Spain. During the FLive event on Lough Erne she will read excerpts from her novel and discuss topics including cultural heritage and art as a form of resistance.

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