Leïla Slimani: I’ll Take the Fire

From one of the boldest and most captivating voices in world literature, I’ll Take the Fire is a sensual and provocative coming-of-age novel about a young Arab woman on a quest for sexual and political freedom.

Mia Daoud yearns to be free. Growing up in socially conservative Morocco, her imagination fired by her banker father’s charisma and political idealism, her doctor mother’s feminist example and social conscience, and the boundless possibilities suggested by her favorite authors, she learns to go after what she wants, even if it means jumping through fire to get it. Determined to be true to her sexuality and to differentiate herself from her adoring younger sister, she sets out in search of her place in the world, from Casablanca to Paris to London, and against the backdrop of era-defining events like the fall of the Berlin Wall and 9/11, guided by a preternatural sense of justice and an unerring instinct for what makes her feel most alive. Combining vigorous poetry and unflinching bravery, Leila Slimani’s autobiographical novel is a rousing ode to living a life of purpose and consequence.

Slimani will be joined in conversation by Mylène Priam, a scholar, writer, and longtime teacher of French and Francophone literature at Harvard University, whose work focuses on contemporary French, Caribbean, and Maghreb literature.

The conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing.

Can't attend the event? You can still order your signed copy here