‘Pardon My French’ bookshelf launching on June 19th.

‘Pardon My French’ bookshelf will be launched with a literary conversation between Lok Sabha member Dr. Shashi Tharoor and Dr. Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India, here on June 19^th.

The Pardon My French programme is organised by the DC Bookstore, in partnership with The French Institute in India, with a view to bringing French literature to bookstores across the nation, in dedicated corners with a list curated for local readers, in partnership with independent bookstores.

The programme aims to ensure that the Indian bibliophile has as much access to French titles as their international counterparts. The selection includes iconic French classics from Sartre to Proust, those contemporary French titles with an established following in India (Marjane Satrapi, Annie Ernaux) as well as new voices seeing international acclaim (Victoria Mas, Édouard Louis, Virginie Despentes) and more.

The conversation which is scheduled on the 19^th. will explore Dr. Tharoor’s personal journey with French literature, from his earliest literary encounters to his most cherished reading experiences. French thinkers have shaped not only a global canon of literature but also politics and philosophy with their contributions – from the political zeitgeist leading to the first French Revolution, to their post-war defining ideas around existentialism, feminism and more.

The conversation promises to be a warm exploration of how great literature shapes a reader’s imagination – touching on favourite classics, memorable first impressions, and the unique experience of encountering beloved French works in different languages. As a speaker fluent in both Malayalam and French in addition to Tharoor’s other languages, this promises to be a unique confluence of two literary cultures in conversation.

As a scholar, Dr. Mathou’ s main focus is on India-China relations and Himalayan studies. He is a notable specialist in Bhutan studies. Dr. Thierry Mathou took office as French Ambassador to India on September 17, 2023. He is both a career diplomat and a scholar specialised in Asian studies. He started his diplomatic career in 1989 at the French Embassy in Washington, DC. In 1993 he was assigned to the French Embassy in Beijing. In 1996 he was posted at the Department of European Affairs of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, where he dealt mainly with multilateral trade issues and EU-Asia relations. Specialised in Asian Affairs, he was assigned three times to China (Beijing and Shanghai), where he spent 13 years and held several positions, including Consul general in Shanghai (2006-2010) during the 2010 World Expo.

He has also served as the Deputy Director of the Department for International Economic and Financial Affairs at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2004 to 2006. From 2010 to 2015 he was Ambassador of France to Myanmar. From 2015 to 2017 he served as Ambassador of France to the Philippines, and Non-Resident Ambassador to Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, based in Manila. From 2017 to 2020 Dr. Mathou was Director General for Asia and Oceania at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in Paris. In this capacity he wrote the blueprint of the French Indo-Pacific strategy and spearheaded its implementation. He also launched the candidacy for France to become a development partner of ASEAN.

In 2015, he coauthoured the book “The Bodhisattva King” published on the occasion of the Fourth Druk Gyalpo’s 60th birthday and initiated the “Tashigomang Project” in 2016 under the patronage of HM Gyalyum Ashi Kesang Choeden Wangchuck to preserve and promote these typically Bhutanese miniature portable shrines.

Dr. Mathou has been an associated political scientist with the Department of Himalayan Studies of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Paris, since 1989. He is fluent in several Asian languages, including Chinese. Born in 1963, he is married to Cécile Mathou who is also involved in Bhutanese studies. They have three children: Alexandra, François, and Charles. Dr. Thierry Mathou is a Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour of the French Republic.

Team Maverick