Two of France’s foremost men of letters will be discussing the past, present and future of literature in the historic Humanity Theatre at the University of Glasgow on 24 September 2026. The conversation will include questions from the audience. It will be followed by a book signing and reception in the Hunterian Art Gallery.

About the guests :

Pascal Quignard, winner of the Prix Goncourt, joins poetry with philosophy in prose forms that surprise and challenge the reader, as is the case in Happy the Hours, his latest volume to appear in English translation (Hermits United). A recurring theme in Quignard’s work is music, the subject of his best-selling Tous les matins du monde.

William Marx, Chair in Comparative Literature at the Collège de France, broaches a formidable range of subjects and approaches in his quest for an understanding of literature. A Scholar’s Life, Marx’s erudite, elegantly written masterpiece that won the Prix Montyon de l’Académie française, has recently been published in English translation (Hermits United).

Talk in French with translation in English. All welcome.