On Saturday, November 16, join Prix Goncourt-winner Hervé Le Tellier and writer Katie Kitamura for a conversation on using fiction as a strategy for understanding reality, moderated by Laurence Marie. 

Hervé Le Tellier’s acclaimed novel The Anomaly (trans. by Adriana Hunter, Other Press) challenges perceptions of truth by examining the impact of extraordinary events on ordinary lives, prompting reflections on existence and narrative power. Katie Kitamura, well-known for her insights into human relationships, often delves into themes of absence and identity, emphasizing how imagination can provide refuge during uncertain times. 

The discussion will focus on the role of imagination in interpreting our experiences, the interplay between fiction and reality, and how storytelling helps us make sense of complex emotions. Through their dialogue, Le Tellier and Kitamura will illuminate the transformative power of imagination, offering valuable insights into how we navigate the realities of life and the stories we create along the way. 

The conversation will take place in English and will be followed by a book signing. This event is free with RSVP.  Click here for tickets. 

This event is co-organized with Villa Albertine, and is a part of Albertine’s 10th Anniversary Celebration. 

HERVÉ LE TELLIER is a writer, journalist, mathematician, food critic, and teacher. He has been a member of the Oulipo group since 1992 and one of the “papous” of the famous France Culture radio show. He has published numerous books of stories, essays, memoir, and novels, including the 2020 Goncourt Prize–winning The Anomaly (trans. by Adriana Hunter, Other Press), which has sold more than one million copies worldwide and will soon be adapted for television. Other titles include All Happy Families (trans. by Adriana Hunter, Other Press) and Electrico W (trans. by Adriana Hunter, Other Press). 

KATIE KITAMURA’s most recent novel is Intimacies (Riverhead Books). One of The New York Times’ 10 Best Books of 2021, it was longlisted for the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award, and was a finalist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. Her work has been translated into 21 languages and is being adapted for film and television. She is a recipient of the Rome Prize in Literature, as well as fellowships from the Lannan, Santa Maddalena, and Jan Michalski foundations. Katie Kitamura teaches in the creative writing program at New York University. 

Photos credits: © Francesca Mantovani – Editions Gallimard / © CL