Main content

French writing and politics

Leila Slimani, President Macron's champion of French culture and language, is interviewed by Shahidha Bari about her role and her novel Lullaby which won the 2016 Prix Goncourt.

LeΓ―la Slimani, President Macron's champion of French culture and language, is interviewed by presenter Shahidha Bari about her new role and her novel Lullaby which won the 2016 Prix Goncourt.

Plus Emile Chabal from the University of Edinburgh discusses Savages: The Wedding by Sabri Louatah - a novel imagining the first Arab candidate for President is shot. The TV rights for the quartet of books have been sold and the first book is winning prizes and comparisons with the Neopolitan novels of Elena Ferrante.

Fleur Darkin of Scottish Dance Theatre talks about her stage adaptation of L'Amant by Marguerite Duras, while Julia Waters from the University of Reading explains how the French colonial experience in Indochina informed the work of Duras and other writers.

Lullaby by LeΓ―la Slimani is now published in English in a translation by Sam Taylor.

Savages The Saint-Γ‰tienne Quartet Volume 1: The Wedding is written by Sabri Louatah and translated into English by Gavin Bowd.

The Lover, adapted and directed by Fleur Darkin and Jemima Levick, is at the Lyceum, Edinburgh from 20th January to 3rd February.

Producer: Torquil MacLeod.

Main image: LeΓ―la Slimani (photograph by Catherine HΓ©lie (c)Editions Gallimard).

Available now

45 minutes

Last on

Wed 17 Jan 2018 22:00

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Shahidha Bari
Interviewed Guest Leila Slimani
Interviewed Guest Emile Chabal
Interviewed Guest Fleur Darkin
Interviewed Guest Julia Waters
Producer Torquil MacLeod

Broadcast

  • Wed 17 Jan 2018 22:00

Featured in...

The Arts & Ideas Podcast

The Arts & Ideas Podcast

You can download all the past episodes of Radio 3's Free Thinking

Discussions and talks from the Free Thinking Festival 2019

Discussions and talks from the Free Thinking Festival 2019

Angry politics, what we can’t say, being diplomatic, weeping, emotion in music, film & TV

Click to listen to discussions, talks and music as the Free Thinking Festival 2019 Gets Emotional

Click to listen to discussions, talks and music as the Free Thinking Festival 2019 Gets Emotional

Angry politics, what we can’t say, being diplomatic, weeping, emotion in music, film & TV

CLICK to LISTEN & SEE programmes from the Free Thinking Festival 2018: The One & the Many

CLICK to LISTEN & SEE programmes from the Free Thinking Festival 2018: The One & the Many

We examine the fast-changing relationship between the individual & the crowd

CLICK to LISTEN & SEE all programmes, images, clips & features from 2017's festival

Free Thinking Festival 2017: The Speed of Life