Georges Perec Melbourne Salon Wrap-up

From left: Philip Thiel, Norie Neumark,
Maria Miranda and Raphaël Trantoul

Thirty years after Georges Perec visited the Alliance Française de Melbourne, Perec amateurs assembled once again last night to celebrate and dissect this curious genius at “Georges Perec: The Australian Connection, 30 Years On”.

A panel featuring some of La Trobe’s finest, Norie Neumark, Maria Miranda and Raphaël Trantoul, examined Perec’s enduring popularity in Australia, where his books have per capita sold more than anywhere else in the anglophone world. Our love of his gameplay was one hypothesis which arose over the course of the evening’s tantilising discussion.

The evening also featured an alternately moving and hilarious atelier d’écriture, comprising a series of Perecquian literary challenges, such as writing a poem using only the letters of your name.

Finally, listen to SBS French’s interview with Kerry Mullen and Raphaël to discover more about The Melbourne Salon series and, naturellement, Perec.