Looking to feed your mind this summer? Dive into our curated selection of recent non-fiction titles translated from the French language. From working-class memoirs and anti-colonial resistance to philosophy, psychoanalysis, and animal companions, these books offer fresh insights, bold ideas, and untold stories. A perfect blend of intellect and emotion to take with you on holiday or keep by your side year-round.

 

For fiction enthusiasts, check-out our fiction book selection.

The Life, Old Age, and Death of a Working-Class Woman, by Didier Eribon (Penguin Books)

Translated by Michael Lucey

A moving portrait of the author's mother and a searing reflection on class, aging, and memory in modern France. Eribon intertwines personal grief with sociopolitical critique

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A Philosophy of Shame, by Frédéric Gros (Verso Books)

Translated by Andrew James Bliss

Frédéric Gros explores shame as a transformative emotion that fuels political resistance. Far from paralysing, it becomes a revolutionary force against injustice and inequality.

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Ubac and Me, by Cédric Sapin-Defour (Vintage Publishing)

Translated by Adriana Hunter

An ode to companionship and the alpine landscape, this tender memoir captures the joys and lessons of living alongside a beloved dog named Ubac.

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Natural History of Silence, by Jérôme Sueur (Polity Press)

Translated by Helen Morrison

What does silence mean in the age of constant noise? Biologist and sound ecologist Jérôme Sueur explores the scientific and emotional dimensions of silence in nature and human life.

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A People's History of Psychoanalysis, by Florent Gabarron-Garcia (Pluto Press)

Translated by S Branson

An accessible and radical re-reading of psychoanalysis, centering the voices and experiences of those often excluded from its history.

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Edinburgh