Ann Scott in Conversation; Queer Paris in the 1990s

Join us for an evening with French author Ann Scott for a discussion of her newly translated novel Superstars, a bestseller in France when it was published in 2000, which captures a pivotal moment in Paris’s LGBTQ history, illuminating the often-overlooked underground spaces where queer people organized, built community, and made art. She will be joined in conversation by Benoit Landon.

About Superstars

One of the defining French cult novels of the past thirty years, Superstars is a tender yet combative portrait of Paris’s queer rave scene in the 1990s; for readers of Virginie Despentes and Gary Indiana.

Louise is a woman in her early thirties with a record contract, colorful roommates, and a passionate, volatile relationship with the lesbian community around her. She used to be part of the French rock scene, having dated and collaborated with a man named Nikki, a crucial figure in that world. But she has been out of that scene for years, having moved from rock to rave culture and, at the same time, begun dating chiefly women. Her longest and most combative relationship in this scene has been with Alex, another woman who has established herself as a DJ and has recently started seeing a much younger woman named Inès.

One day, Louise receives a life-changing advance from a record label to produce her own electronic music. She struggles to handle the responsibility of professionalizing her lifestyle, one suffused with the omnidirectional drama of the women in her circle, and with her own uncertainty about her role in it. They bar-crawl, watch MTV, go to each other’s sets, hook up, and do copious drugs.

Tension builds as Louise finds herself pulled toward multiple possible paths: forward in her career in the techno world; backward toward rock’n’roll, Nikki, and the life he represents; toward Alex again; and toward Inès, leading to a dangerous and ultimately devastating affair. Ann Scott portrays the Paris underground in all its beauty, ugliness, and pulpy grandeur, with the caustic voice of a born punk struggling to conform to the standards of a new, hungry world of anticonformists.

Praise for Superstars

“Entrancing . . . Scott’s addictive narrative offers a kaleidoscopic look at a lively milieu and a woman’s struggle to overcome heartbreak and obsession, and make a life for herself as an artist. Readers will be thrilled.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“First published in France in 2000, this wild European romp by author Ann Scott details the hardscrabble life of a thirtysomething queer woman named Louise and her friends who make life fun despite an absence of money or motivation in 1990s Paris . . . a graphically detailed microcosm of hopes, dreams, and loves, both past and present. This is riveting fiction.” — Jim Piechota, Bay Area Reporter

“Originally published in 2000, this French cult classic novel chronicles Paris’ queer rave scene in the ’90s. Think: lesbian DJ love triangles, anticonformists, grainy MTV, and designer drugs. The long-awaited English translation of this pop novel is sure to be spotted on the L train this spring.” — Sophia June, Playboy, “Most Anticipated Books of 2026”

“The literary queen of the Paris techno scene, whose cult novel Superstars immortalized the hedonism and rivalry of the sweat-drenched dancefloors and rave parties of 1990s France . . . Scott’s writing contrasts beautiful party people with the fragility of life, the difficulty of being part of a crowd.” — Angelique Chrisafis, The Guardian

This event is free; no tickets are required.

This event will take place in English.