Rencontre Littéraire: Marie NDiaye in Seattle
Book Signing, Panel, Readings
Villa Albertine invites you to a special event with the Alliance Française de Seattle and Third Place Books for an exclusive conversation with former Villa Albertine resident Marie NDiaye about her book “The Witch,” whose 2026 English translation by Jordan Strump was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize. The talk will be followed by a public Q&A and a book signing with the author (books will be available for purchase onsite). The event will be moderated by local author Malick Ndiaye.
La Sorcière (1996) | The Witch (2026)
Dreamlike and unsettling, The Witch is set in a small French town where a mediocre witch passes on her gifts to her twin daughters, who turn out to have skills far beyond her own.
Lucie comes from a long line of witches; powers are passed down from mother to daughter. Her own mother was formidable in her powers, but ashamed of her magic. Perhaps as a result, Lucie’s own gift is weak: she can see into the future, sometimes, but more often she can only see the present of some other location.
Lucie’s own children are initiated into their family’s peculiar womanhood when they reach 12 years of age, and in a few short months, Maud and Lise are crying the curious tears of blood that denote their magical powers. Having learned, they take off quickly and fly the nest. Literally.
The Witch brings the mysteries of womanhood and motherhood into sharp relief and leaves us teetering on the edge, unbalanced, as seemingly unbreakable relationships break down left and right.
Marie NDiaye
Marie NDiaye was born in France and published her first novel at the age of 17. Her works have won the Prix Femina (Rosie Carpe in 2001) and the Prix Goncourt (Three Strong Women, 2009). Her novel Ladivine (translated into English by Jordan Stump) was longlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2016, and in 2020 she was awarded the Prix Marguerite Yourcenar for her entire body of work. Stump’s translation of her novel The Witch, first published in French in 1996, was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026. NDiaye lives in Paris.
In partnership with
Alliance Francaise Seattle
The Alliance Française de Seattle is a dynamic educational and cultural 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in the state of Washington since 1987, whose mission is to promote the French language and Francophone cultures through diverse programs in the Puget Sound area. It is part of an international network of Alliances Françaises—832 in 131 countries, and 105 of them in 2021 in the USA alone.
Third Place Books
Third Place Books is the deliberate and intentional creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. It is a fun, comfortable, and safe place to browse, linger, lounge, relax, read, eat, laugh, play, talk, listen, and just watch the world go by.
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