The book is the translation of Avant que j’oublie, Anne Pauly’s first novel, awarded the Prix du Livre Inter and the Prix Robert Walser in 2020. When Anne’s father dies, she is left grieving a contradiction: Jean-Pierre was at once a self-taught philosopher born into poverty, a Buddhist who marked his favourite haikus with maple leaves, an old romantic, and a violent alcoholic whose behaviour marked his family’s life. Sorting through his belongings and preparing the funeral, she tries to work out who and what she has lost. Virginie Despentes called it “a perfect strike: funny, emotional, political, and unflinchingly accurate.”
Anne Pauly will be joined by her translator Dina Leifer at both events.
Meet Anne Pauly
- Mon 5 October, 18.30
Borderless Books, Stroud
Get tickets here -
Tue 6 October, 18.30
Veranda Books, London
Get tickets here
- Picture: Pierre Andreotti