The EFACIS Kaleidoscope Series asks writers and artists from the island of Ireland about topical interests concerning Irish literature and culture in Ireland and Europe.

A Kaleidoscope is both a scientific tool and a children’s toy which constantly transforms its elements into surprising configurations.The word is of Greek origin consisting of kalos, beautiful; eidos, form; and skopein, to see or to aim: this project wants to produce beautiful forms which make readers revise old views. The question Kaleidoscope 1 reconsiders is, How does fiction come into being? So we asked What heights, which pitfalls do you experience when writing fiction? If you were to sum up the act of writing in one characterization, would that be a curse, relief, bliss, a struggle, all of these? To these and other questions this website will give you fifty answers from the island of Ireland and the diaspora. The book version, The Danger and the Glory (ed. Arlen House 2019, front picture by Rita Duffy), is available from kennys.ie and bookdepository.com.


We wish to acknowledge and thank The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Embassy of Ireland, Belgium for their support in making this project a success.