Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary People with Anne Pauly

As part of the Contemporary Writers Series by the Center for French and Francophone Studies, author and current Villa Albertine resident Anne Pauly is invited to Duke University for a bilingual discussion on the power of literature.

Anne Pauly’s work, such as prize-winning novel Avant que j’oublie, highlights the vibrancy of the everyday and the voices of society’s underdogs. In this conversation in French and English, Pauly will delve into the role and power of literature in today’s society. She will also discuss her current residency project with Villa Albertine, where she is road-tripping across southern Appalachia to explore its diversity and literary culture beyond its prescriptive stereotypes. Learn more about her residency project.

« Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary People » is organized by the Center for French and Francophone Studies at Duke University, in partnership with Villa Albertine. In addition to her public lecture, Pauly will lead multiple creative writing workshops during class visits to the Duke French Program.

Learn more about this event.

Anne Pauly (b. 1974) is a writer working and living in Paris. Her first book, Avant que j’oublie (Éditions Verdier, 2019), is a tragi-comic story of mourning death and “vengeful social mobility.” It was awarded the 2020 Prix du Livre Inter and Prix Robert Walser after shortlisting for the Prix Femina, Prix Wepler, and Prix Goncourt. Anne has since written short stories for several reviews, and scripted a televised fiction series and a play for the Centre Dramatique National Besançon Franche-Comté. She is currently finishing a second novel, while working on a play for the Théâtre du Nord along with seven other writers, including Virginie Despentes, Paul B. Preciado, and Julien Delmaire.