7 Upcoming Author Talks

Author Talk

SOLD OUT - Matisse Across the Atlantic: From Paris to American Modernism

With Art Historian Claude Cernuschi

Tuesday, May 5, 2026 6:00 PM To 7:30 PM
At The French Library Get Directions

From Paris to Boston, Professor Claude Cernuschi explores how Matisse’s radical vision of color and form shaped generations of American artists, from Rothko to Ellsworth Kelly.

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Author Talk

The Monuments of Paris: Rewriting Family History

An Author Talk with Violaine Huisman

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 6:00 PM To 7:30 PM
At French Library

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.

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Author Talk

Virtual Event: Ann Scott in Conversation

Presented in partnership with Harvard Bookstore

Thursday, May 14, 2026 12:00 PM To 1:00 PM
At Harvard Bookstore Get Directions

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.

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Author Talk

Café Philo: Down to Earth by Bruno Latour

Led by Pierre-Laurent Boulanger

Tuesday, May 19, 2026 6:00 PM To 7:30 PM
At The French Library Get Directions

Explore how philosophy and ecology help us rethink life on a shared planet.

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Author Talk

From Enlightenment to Independence: How French Ideas Shaped the American Revolution

A Conversation with Harvard Historian Robert Darnton

Tuesday, June 2, 2026 6:00 PM To 7:30 PM
At The French Library Get Directions

Join Robert Darnton for a conversation on how Enlightenment thought helped shape the American Revolution.

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Author Talk

Adrienne de La Fayette: A Woman at the Heart of Two Revolutions

With Historian Vincent Bouat-Ferlier

Thursday, July 16, 2026 6:00 PM To 7:30 PM
At The French Library Get Directions

Join us for a captivating evening marking the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, centered on the remarkable life of Adrienne de La Fayette, a woman at the heart of two revolutions.

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Author Talk

Lafayette: A Reluctant Sailor

With Historian Vincent Bouat-Ferlier

Thursday, September 10, 2026 6:00 PM To 7:30 PM
At The French Library Get Directions

Join us for a special conference with French historian Vincent Bouat-Ferlier celebrating the 400th anniversary of the French Navy, exploring Lafayette’s unexpected maritime journey during the Age of Revolutions.

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2 Past Author Talks

Saturday, April 25, 2026 5:00 PM To 6:30 PM

Don’t miss a rare Boston appearance by Prix Goncourt–winning author Marie NDiaye, one of the most acclaimed voices in contemporary French literature. In conversation with Shuchi Saraswat, she will discuss her latest novel in English The Witch.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2026 6:00 PM To 7:30 PM

Celebrate the release of the new English translation of Soviet Land with Pierre-Henry Gomont. Set in post-Soviet Russia, this tragicomic thriller follows two small-time swindlers navigating the ruins of a vanished utopia.

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