Death of Annaig Renault, a writer in Breton language

Annaig Renault died this morning at the hospital Saint-Laurent at Rennes after a long illness.

Her father was a native of Côtes-d'Armor and her mother was from Brest. She lived in the Paris area until 1967 and attended the association Ker Vreizh by participating in the group of harpists Telenn Bleimor.

She arrived in Brittany at 20 years old. She pursued her studies in the Celtic section of the University of Haute Bretagne (Rennes) before becoming, in turn, academic, journalist and writer. She published poems, short stories and the first novel ever written in Breton by a Breton woman «Dec'h e oa re bell dija» (Yesterday it was too far already). Many of her stories have been translated into Welsh by Rhisiart Hincks, of the University of Aberystwyth. Her publications have earned her the price Pêr Roy and the price Imran.

Directed by Yann-Ber Piriou, she attended a doctoral thesis of Celtic Studies about the ways of humanity in the work of Maodez Glanndour.

In her latest book, «Je sais la vie brûlante» (I know life is burning...), with her text facing drawings by the painter Yves Grandjean, she seemed to have understood that her departure was near.

Annaig Renault will be, from 1991 to 2000, general secretary of the Cultural Institute of Brittany. Along with Bernard Le Nail, its director, she will participate in the life of the sections, organizing conferences and book fairs, in Brittany, Paris, abroad, often animating meetings with authors. She was President of the «written literature» section of the ICB.

She received the Ermin necklace (le collier de l'Hermine) in Lorient in 2010.

ABP salutes an exceptional Breton woman, with a deep sensitivity and a broad culture.

Philippe Argouarch. Translation Maryvonne Cadiou from (voir notre article)