Nicolas Idier: Renowned author at Ohio State University & Washington University
Talk
Nicolas Idier - Photo © Patrice Normand
The Ohio State University & Washington University-St Louis
Oct 24 & 30, 2024
French novelist and sinologist Nicolas Idier will be delivering lectures at WashU and Ohio State University. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore his unique insights and diverse background as a diplomat, educator, and cultural advocate.
These talks focus on cultural diplomacy and Chinese language education in France, with Idier sharing his experiences as Inspector-General and examining China’s influence on French literature, while emphasizing the relationship between literature and cultural identity in shaping a multilingual contemporary society.
About the author
Nicolas Idier holds a doctorate on “Simon Leys and the history of Chinese art”, and has taught the same discipline at Sorbonne University. Idier has also served as Cultural Attaché in Beijing, China, and New Delhi, India. After an eight-year diplomatic career (2010-2018), he became Deputy Director of the “Cité internationale de la bande dessinée et de l’image” in Angoulême, where he worked to promote comics and graphic novels (2018-2020). From 2020 to 2022, he served as a speechwriting and prospecting advisor to Prime Minister Jean Castex, bringing his expertise in writing and soft diplomacy.
Recently, Nicolas Idier published a fictional memoir of those two years, entitled Matignon la Nuit (2024). He then joined the Ministry of Education, where he oversees Chinese studies in the French education system. As an author, he has written six novels and an essay on Shanghai, published by renowned publishing houses (Gallimard, Robert Laffont, Stock, Plon) and shortlisted for prizes such as the Prix Médicis, the Prix Jean Freustié of the Académie française, the Prix Décembre, and more recently the Prix Castel. He is currently the 2024 Jules Verne Writing Resident that provides a space of creation and reflection to a Francophone writer who works on a literary project during their time at The Ohio State University.
PROGRAM
Politics and Literature: A Lecture by French Writer Nicolas Idier
Oct 30, 2024 – 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Washington University
Olin Library, Ginkgo Room
St. Louis, MO, 63130
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Co-sponsored by WashU Libraries, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, French Connexions, Chinese language program, and the Center for Literary Arts (WashU)
Nicolas Idier – “Why Was I Chinese?”
Oct 24, 2024 – 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
The Ohio State University
Thompson Library, Multipurpose Room 165
1775 College Road S #200
Columbus, OH, 43210
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Co-sponsored by The Centre d’Excellence and Department of French and Italian (Ohio State University)
In partnership with
Center of Excellence – The Ohio State University
In December 2020, the Department of French and Italian at Ohio State University was selected by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States to join its prestigious network of Centers of Excellence. Housed at 22 major research universities in the US, Centers of Excellence receive yearly financial support and project-based support. The Center for Excellence at Ohio State aims to promote French and Francophone Literature and Culture in the Midwest. The Center’s main focus is the Jules Verne Writing Residency. The Residency provides a space of creation and reflection to a Francophone writer who works on a literary project during their time at OSU.
French Connexions Cultural Center at Washington University in St Louis
The French Connections Cultural Center, housed in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures (RLL) at Washington University in St. Louis, helps promote French Language and culture in the heart of the Midwest. It is a member of The Centers of Excellence, a support network for the Embassy of France to develop transatlantic relationship on their campus.