French Voices at the Boston Book Festival

Join us for a day of engaging conversations, thought-provoking ideas, and book signings with some of today’s most celebrated French authors and thinkers. This special event will feature three talks, inviting participants to explore contemporary literature, philosophy, and culture from multiple perspectives. From Marie NDiaye’s award-winning fiction to Bruno Perreau’s bold political thought and Miguel Bonnefoy’s powerful storytelling, the program highlights the diversity and vitality of contemporary French literature and ideas.

Format: 50 min panel discussion with a moderator followed by a 10 min Q&A with the public and a book signing.

Language: English 

This is a free event, available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Featured Authors

In conversation with Marie N’Diaye

Marie N’Diaye is a celebrated French novelist, playwright, and screenwriter whose career spans nearly four decades, having first been published at 18. She received the Prix Goncourt in 2009 for Three Strong Women, and her plays are included in the repertoire of the Comédie-Française. Her most recent novel in English, Vengeance Is Mine (2023), was named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker, TIME and The Washington Post.

In addition to her literary achievements, NDiaye co-wrote the screenplay for Claire Denis’s acclaimed film White Material (2009) and contributed to the award-winning Saint Omer (2022). She will be interviewed by Odile Cazenave, Professor of French in Romance Studies & African Studies at Boston University.

Talk: 10:00 – 11:00 AM | Book Signing: Following the talk

How Minority Rights Shape Us All

Bruno Perreau, with Théo Mantion

How can the fight against discrimination serve everyone? In his latest book, ProfessorPerreau argues that minority issues concern us all and that solidarity, rather than competition, can revitalize our political and social life. In Spheres of Injustice: The Ethical Promise of Minority Presence, Perreau introduces the concept of intrasectionality, a new legal approach that shows how protections for one group can extend to others. Drawing on concrete cases, he demonstrates how minority experiences can foster responsibility, and lead to better environmental protection, and more democratic institutions.

Bruno Perreau is the Cynthia L. Reed Professor of French Studies at MIT and a Faculty Affiliate at Harvard’s Center for European Studies. He has written widely on politics, culture, and social change in both France and the U.S. Bruno Perreau will discuss his work with Ph.D. candidate in French literature at Harvard University Théo Mantion.

Talk: 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Book Signing Following the talk

In conversation with Miguel Bonnefoy

Miguel Bonnefoy is a French and Venezuelan novelist, whose rich storytelling delves into a range of relevant themes from identity to family and collective memory. He was the recipient of the Prix de Jeune Écrivain in 2013. His acclaimed novel Heritage was short-listed for several prestigious literary honors, including the Grand Prix de l’Académie française, the Prix Femina, and the Prix Goncourt. His latest novel, The Dream of the Jaguar, will be released in the US in December 2025.

The author will be interviewed by Benoit Landon, literary journalist and librarian at the French Library

Talk : 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Book Signing: Following the talk

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