Politics and Literature: A Lecture by French Writer Nicolas Idier

Join us for a lecture by Nicolas Idier, a well-known French novelist, sinologist, French diplomat, and Inspector-General of Chinese Language Education in France.

Idier completed his PhD in “Simon Leys and Chinese Art History” and taught Chinese Art History at Sorbonne University. He also worked as a Cultural Attaché in Beijing, China, and New Delhi, India. Following an eight-year diplomatic career (2010-2018), Idier became the deputy director of “Cité internationale de la Bande dessinée et de l’image” in Angouleme, focusing on promoting Graphic novels and Comics (2018-2020). From 2020 to 2022, he served as a Counselor for speech writing and prospection to Prime Minister Jean Casteix, contributing his expertise in writing and soft diplomacy. 

Idier recently published a fictionalized memoir of these two years titled “Matignon la Nuit” (“Matignon by Night”, 2024). Subsequently, he joined the Ministère de l’Education, overseeing Chinese studies in the French Education system. 

As an author, Nicolas Idier has written 6 novels and 1 essay about Shanghai, published by renowned French publishing houses (Gallimard, Robert Laffont, Stock, Plon) and short-listed for awards such as Prix Médicis, Prix Jean Freustié de l’Académie française, Prix Décembre, and most recently Prix Castel. His work “Nouvelle jeunesse” was honored with the Prix Printemps du Roman and translated into English as “Electric Nights in Beijing” (Yatra Books).

Free and open to all, registration requested.

Co-sponsored by WashU Libraries, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, French Connexions, Chinese language program, and the Center for Literary Arts.