Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux as Guest of Honor at World Book Fair

Annie Ernaux, the 2022 Nobel Prize winner, will be making her first trip to India this week as part of a delegation of French authors, and will be the Guest of Honour at the New Delhi World Book Fair starting on Saturday.

“We were so honoured when Annie Ernaux accepted our invitation, especially when we got to know she has said yes to only two invitations abroad after receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature. At age 82, it will be her first visit to India,” said Julia Trouilloud, Attache for Books at the French Institute in India.

Ernaux was awarded the Nobel for the “courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory”. She will deliver a special lecture at the book fair venue Pragati Maidan on Saturday and also address a conference at the Shri Ram Centre the next day.

A number of other well-known contemporary French authors from various literary genres, including adult fiction, non-fiction, young adult fiction, children’s books, and graphic novels, are also included in the 16-member delegation.

To learn about the Indian publishing markets and exchange rights between the two nations, more than ten French publishers will meet their Indian counterparts.

There will also be representatives from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Institut français en Inde, and the French Publishing Industry Bureau (Bureau international de l’edition francaise and Syndicat national de l’edition).

According to Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, Counsellor for Education, Science & Culture at the French Embassy in India, “We will discuss broader perspectives about the place of literature in our cultural cooperation worldwide, also in the bilateral relationship between France and India. A little bit about what the book market represents in France.”

Trouilloud said Indo-French literary ties are stronger than ever, with an increasing number of translations in both directions.

“French graphic novels for adults and illustrated books for children are attracting the attention of Indian publishers more and more so we will have a special focus on these two genres. Visitors to the French pavilion will have the experience of a typical Parisian bookstore-cum-cafe, stunningly illustrated by graphic artist Simon Lamouret,” she said.

India was the Country of Honour at the Festival du Livre de Paris in France in April 2022. The 31st edition of the New Delhi World Book Fair will run till March 5.

Besides their participation in round-tables and special events at the book fair, the French authors will give lectures and workshops in major universities, bookstores, and other cultural institutions such as the Alliance francaise de Delhi.

After Delhi, each one of them will visit other Indian cities, with the support of the Alliance francaise network present in 15 cities across the country, officials said.

(From PTI)