Meet Frédéric Beigbeder, French novelist, critic, radio host, model, DJ, and film director, at an intimate luncheon at FIAF.
Known for his wild side and his self-deprecating public persona, he is also a serious talent. A true literary celebrity, Beigbeder will discuss his storied career, his approach to writing, and French literature with journalist and French TV personality Olivier Barrot.
An enfant terrible with a flair for provocation, Beigbeder is known as much for his feverish coverage in celebrity magazines as for his distinguished career as an author, film director, intellectual, and the host of the French radio program La matinale (France Inter).
Born into a privileged family in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Beigbeder published his first novel, Mémoires d’un jeune homme dérangé, at the young age of 24. He subsequently worked as an advertising copywriter for various agencies including Young & Rubicam, an experience that would inspire his bestselling novel, 99 francs.
A former writer and literary columnist for Elle, Voici, Paris Match, and GQ, a former editor at Flammarion, he most recently served at executive editor of Lui, the legendary French men’s entertainment magazine, from 2013-2017.
Co-founder of two literary magazines, NRV (a pun on the word énérvé, meaning annoyed) and Bordel, he also oversees Le Figaro Magazine'sfeuilleton litteraire section.
Beigbeder created the Prix de Flore, which has been awarded to authors including Michel Houellebecq, Amélie Nothomb, and Christine Angot, and co-founded the Prix Sade. His novel Windows on the World won the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in 2005, and in 2009, he received the Prix Renaudot for Un roman français. Several of his novels have been adapted for the screen.
In English
Venue
FIAF Le Skyroom
22 East 60th Street
New York, NY 10022
Iconic French Speaker Luncheons with Olivier Barrot
Join French journalist and TV personality Olivier Barrot for an incisive new series of lunchtime conversations with iconic French speakers.
Over an elegant luncheon, Mr. Barrot will bring his unique insights into today’s most pressing issues. He will interview some of France’s greatest minds about their areas of expertise, including the economy, the state of journalism, and more.
Upcoming Luncheons:
• Tue, Feb 27: Jacques Attali, economist, social theorist, writer, and political advisor
• Tue, Mar 27: Frédéric Beigbeder, author, literary critic, film director, and TV presenter
• Tue, Apr 24: Christophe Barbier, actor, author, editorialist, and journalist
About Olivier Barrot
Mr. Barrot, a journalist, author, and television personality, is a prominent voice in French cultural life. He hosts the daily literary TV program “Un livre un jour” on France 3 and TV 5 and teaches at Ecole polytechnique de Zurich. He also directs a series of public discussions about theater and acting with actors of the Comédie Française. He is the host of “French Literature in the Making” at New York University (NYU), a series of evenings with French writers speaking about their work.
Program Sponsors: Air France and Delta Air Lines, Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Edmond de Rothschild Foundations, Engie, Enoch Foundation, French American Cultural Exchange (FACE), Florence Gould Foundation, Hermès Foundation within the framework of the New Settings Program, Howard Gilman Foundation, Institut français, JCDecaux, National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, NY State Council on the Arts, Office de Tourisme de Boulogne-Billancourt, Performing Arts Fund NL, and Pommery