Who comes to your mind when someone talks about French literature? Is it the works of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre? Or perhaps that of Albert Camus or Gustave Flaubert, whose writings are read by students of social humanities in their curriculum? Or maybe even the books of Victor Hugo and Marcel Proust?
If you look closely, there’s a pattern here. These writers are all French greats and authors of books that are known to be iconic classics.
So, why is it that even in the 21st century, a majority of the French writers that we know of are those who have been long gone?
There’s an obvious gap when it comes to the accessibility of contemporary French literature in India. This is something that the French Institute in India is trying to counter through an initiative they’re calling ‘Pardon My French!’.
Gregor Trumel, cultural counsellor and director of the French Institute in India, says, “The concept behind Pardon My French! is to promote and showcase French books that have been translated into English and regional Indian languages, making them accessible to a broader audience who can appreciate these works as much as we do.”
Through the programme, the French Institute in India has curated a selection of 150 books—ranging from creative fiction and creative nonfiction to easy reads, those with universal themes, and award-winning works—to bring a diverse selection of titles to Indian readers in languages they are comfortable in. The institute has also collaborated with publishers to include widely read French books that have been translated in as many as 44 languages, Trumel adds.
The translated titles include newer contemporary voices as well as critically acclaimed books such as Michel Houellebecq’s Atomised, Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog, and Maryse Conde’s The Gospel According to the New World, among others.
The programme has already been launched at the Alliance Francaise in Delhi, Jaipur, Goa, Varanasi, Chandigarh, and Pondicherry, and will be expanded to other cities where the French Institute has networks.
Interestingly, the French Institute in India has also collaborated with independent bookstores. Julia Trouilloud, book attaché, French Institute in India, who has spearheaded this programme, says, “We have always worked with publishers, but even as we were supporting them in publishing translations, the books were hardly to be seen anywhere. This is because we had no relationship with bookstore owners who actually recommend books to their readers and promote them. We realised that we needed to begin this conversation somewhere… because while readers are interested, they know very little about contemporary French literature. Even Nobel Prize in Literature 2023 winner Annie Ernaux is yet to be discovered by many readers.”
Fostering a community
What this initiative also intends to do is foster a community of readers, something the French Institute in India has been placing a strong emphasis on —which is another reason they wanted to rope in bookstores.
Says Trumel, “French literature has always stood for diversity and accessibility; it’s not confined to a single aspect of identity and is meant to be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere. We want to create lasting connections with people who share a passion for books and literature.”
Places like Kunzum, one of the bookstores involved in the programme, have been doing this at their level, too, for some time now. Ajay Jain, the founder of Kunzum Bookstores, shares that when he first opened the store, he wanted to go beyond just being a retailer and develop a space where people from all walks of life get together and explore literature with a no-barriers entry.
As part of this programme, bookstores like Kunzum will have a dedicated section of French literature on their shelves. Jain says, “We want readers to discover more books by freely browsing and interacting with us, and go beyond just reading the French authors that might have been recommended to them.”
Promoting reading culture
But those behind the initiative don’t want this to be just a one-off thing.
Trouilloud says that going ahead, the idea is to continue to expand their network of bookstores to bring contemporary French literature to Indian living rooms. They intend to organise workshops for booksellers to exchange ideas and innovative approaches around further developing a reading culture in India for French books.
This is something that Trumel also mentions in his conversation with FE. He believes that to encourage a culture of reading for pleasure, you have to start by fostering relationships between readers, bookstores, and authors.
With this in mind, Jain says that the bookstores involved in this initiative plan to host writers and artists from France when they visit India, and encourage readers to interact with them to keep the interest in French literature going.