A Morning with Prix Goncourt Winner Hervé Le Tellier

At Online Event via Zoom

The French Library is honored to welcome bestselling author Hervé Le Tellier for the American release of his book, The Anomaly, second Prix Goncourt-winning bestseller in history. Le Tellier will join us from Paris to talk about his book, already an international phenomenon, and his future projects.

The Prix Goncourt is France’s most prestigious literary prize.

This author talk will be followed by a live Q&A, so come ready with your questions!

Member

Non-member

$12

About Hervé Le Tellier

Hervé Le Tellier is a writer, journalist, mathematician, food critic, and teacher. He has been a member of the Oulipo group since 1992 and one of the “papous” of the famous France Culture radio show. He has published fifteen books of stories, essays, and novels, including Enough About Love (Other Press, 2011), The Sextine Chapel (Dalkey Archive Press, 2011), and A Thousand Pearls (Dalkey Archive Press, 2011).

About the Book

NAMED A MOST-ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR BY CRIMEREADS
Winner of the Goncourt Prize and now an international phenomenon, this dizzying, whip-smart novel blends crime, fantasy, sci-fi, and thriller as it plumbs the mysteries surrounding a Paris-New York flight.

Who would we be if we had made different choices? Told that secret, left that relationship, written that book? We all wonder—the passengers of Air France 006 will find out.

In their own way, they were all living double lives when they boarded the plane:
Blake, a respectable family man who works as a contract killer. Slimboy, a Nigerian pop star who uses his womanizing image to hide that he’s gay. Joanna, a Black American lawyer pressured to play the good old boys’ game to succeed with her Big Pharma client. Victor Miesel, a critically acclaimed yet largely obscure writer suddenly on the precipice of global fame.

About to start their descent to JFK, they hit a shockingly violent patch of turbulence, emerging on the other side to a reality both perfectly familiar and utterly strange. As it charts the fallout of this logic-defying event, The Anomaly takes us on a journey from Lagos and Mumbai to the White House and a top-secret hangar.

In Hervé Le Tellier’s most ambitious work yet, high literature follows the lead of a bingeable Netflix series, drawing on the best of genre fiction from “chick lit” to mystery, while also playfully critiquing their hallmarks. An ingenious, timely variation on the doppelgänger theme, it taps into the parts of ourselves that elude us most.

Preorder the book here!

Upcoming Events

See All Upcoming Events

Talks & Discussions

The Monuments of Paris: Rewriting Family History

An Author Talk with Violaine Huisman

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Join us for an evening with acclaimed author Violaine Huisman as she presents her new novel, The Monuments of Paris, a sweeping exploration of family, memory, and a little-known chapter of French history during the Second World War.

Talks & Discussions

Virtual Event: Ann Scott in Conversation

Presented in partnership with Harvard Bookstore

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Join us off-site at Harvard Book Store for a conversation with French author Ann Scott, winner of the 2023 Prix Renaudot, for the release of her cult novel Superstars.

Performing Arts & Screenings

Ciné Club Series: The Double Life of Véronique by Krzysztof Kieślowski

DISCUSSION WITH MICHAEL WARTOFSKY

Thursday, May 14, 2026

A story of two connected lives, The Double Life of Véronique by Krzysztof Kieślowski is a must-see for lovers of European cinema and great film music.

See All