Inauguration Of the Pardon My French! Space At DC Books In Trivandrum

Thiruvananthapuram, June 28 (TNA) Pardon My French! was inaugurated at DC Books, in partnership with the French Institute in India, on Saturday. This event marked a significant moment in the promotion of French literature in India, offering Indian book lovers privileged access to a carefully selected range of French titles, in both English and Malayalam.

The Pardon My French! programme, organised by the Institut Français en Inde/French Institute in India, aims to make contemporary French literature more accessible to readers by creating identified corners in bookshops across the country. Typically used in English to excuse offensive language, “Pardon My French!” is meant quite literally here: thanks to translations, one does not need to speak French to access its literature and its wealth of new ideas, voices, and stories.

The afternoon was marked by a captivating literary conversation between two eminent personalities: Dr Shashi Tharoor, writer and Lok Sabha Member of Parliament and Dr Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India. The room was packed as attendees gathered to hear about Dr Tharoor's journey through French literature, from his first literary encounters to his most cherished reading experiences.

An erudite reader fluent in French, Dr Tharoor shared profound reflections on the impact of French authors and thinkers on his way of perceiving the world, evoking beloved classics, memorable first impressions, and the unique experience of discovering French works in their original language.

He stressed the fact that no culture is pure and that every culture has evolved by being in conversation with other cultures, with translated literature creating precisely this bridge. He further pointed out that reading foreign authors should be envisioned as a way to "expand your identity”, urging readers to experience French literature “not as something foreign but as something familiar".