World Book Café travels to Paris to meet some of the French capital’s newest writers. Authors Mahir Guven, Blandine Rinkel, Laurent Petitmangin and Capucine Delattre discuss taking on the literary establishment and finding new ways to express themselves. Like many places in the world, questions of equality, diversity and freedom of expression are top of the agenda in France. But it is complicated; the ideal of universalism - meaning every citizen is considered to be the same regardless of class or ethnicity - is at the heart of the French republic. Does this 'universalism' leave space for the 21st Century desire to celebrate difference, and how can writing help reconcile these complex ideas? Image: The skyline of Paris, 9 December 2022 (Credit: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)
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Hello, and welcome to World Book Cafe, the program that explores cities in the company of their writers.
I'm Octavia Bright, and today I'm in Paris at the Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore on the famously literary Left Bank.
Like many places in the world, questions of equality, diversity and freedom of expression are top of the agenda in France.
But here, it's complicated.
Famously, the ideals of liberte, egalite, fraternite, liberty, equality and fraternity are at the heart of the French Republic.
In other words, every citizen is considered to be the same, regardless of class or ethnicity.
It's an idea known as universalism, which sounds great, but is it outdated?
Does universalism leave space for our 21st century desire to celebrate and acknowledge our differences?
And can writing itself make a difference?
To find out, I'm joined by four exciting new literary voices disrupting the old order.
Please welcome Mehire Gouverne, Blondine Rinkel, Laurent Petit Mangin, and Capucines de Latre.
Before we get into the more complicated stuff, start with pleasure.
As we'll hear in various ways, you've all written about Paris, but what is the pleasure of being a writer here?
Capucines, I think the greatest joy of being a writer in Paris is that books are everywhere.
Just before coming here, actually, I was in a used bookstore, and you have bookstores of each and every kind, libraries.
And there's such an easy access to books and an easy access to discussions about books.
So many literary events that are happening.
It can be also a problem because maybe we'll discuss it later, but this prevalence of literature in Paris can also be detrimental to literary life and events elsewhere in France.
But it has its perks.