Philippe Claudel

Philippe Claudel (1962) began writing film scripts as a student before turning to literary fiction. By 2010, he had published numerous novels and built a worldwide readership devoted to his subtle and finely crafted work. His international breakthrough came with the acclaimed novel Grey Souls (Les âmes grises). A few years later, he also gained recognition as a film director with his debut feature I’ve Loved You So Long (Il y a longtemps que je t’aime), starring Kristin Scott Thomas in one of the leading roles.

Claudel visits BorderKitchen on the occasion of the Dutch-language publication of two of his books: Some of the Hundred Regrets (Quelques-uns des cent regrets) and Farewell, Monsieur Friant (Au revoir Monsieur Friant). The first is a novella in which the narrator returns, after the death of his mother, to the surroundings of his childhood in a small town in northern France. During the three days he spends there, he is confronted once more with the past. Why did he leave his mother at the age of sixteen? In Farewell, Monsieur Friant, Claudel himself looks back on a long-vanished era. Through the paintings of Émile Friant, he reflects on the world in which his grandmother lived.

This BorderKitchen will be held in French, with intermittent translation into Dutch. Claudel will be interviewed by Gerald de Hemptinne (AFP).

Please note: this BorderKitchen has a different starting time and venue. It will take place in the Paul Steenbergen Foyer of the Koninklijke Schouwburg, at Korte Voorhout 3, The Hague. Start time: 7:30 PM.

In collaboration with Alliance Française de La Haye.