Nature Writing: conversation with Violaine Bérot and Mya-Rose Craig

"The Animal factor, between the earth and the sky"
Moderated by Dariouch Ghavami

What does it mean deep down to abandon modernity and growth for a plain and simple life? How can life outdoors lend meaning to existence? Such questions touching on ruralness and our connection with the wild come up over and over in the work of Violaine Bérot. Throughout her writing, the subtle ways in which an environment and the beings moving around in it exercise a mutual influence on one another intertwine and are explored. Mya-Rose Craig looks at these ties through ornithology. Birding serves as the social glue holding together the members of her family, allowing them to face as one the mental illness of her mother. Birdgirl, as she is also known, bearing witness to the devastation man is visiting upon nature, is calling for action now. Two intersecting perspectives on the ways we inhabit the countryside, mountains and forests, and on our connections with animals and their impact repercussions for relations between humans.

Fondation Jan Michalski, Thursday 9 October 2025