In the Name of the Father: Conversation with Éric Chacour and Xavier Le Clerc

Wed 18 Sep
Books & Ideas
Talks

Canadian author born to Egyptian parents, Éric Chacour, and French-Algerian novelist, Xavier Le Clerc, will discuss with editor Georgia de Chamberet their latest UK publications, What I Know About You and A Man With No Title

In his multi-awarded novel What I Know About You, Éric Chacour tells the searing tale of a devastating love that oscillates between Egypt and Montreal. In a small Levantine Christian family in late-twentieth century Cairo, Tarek is destined to be a doctor like his father, marry and have children. Until Ali, a patient’s son, upends Tarek’s pre-determined fate. Forced into exile, Tarek wanders and reflects upon his decisions, piecing together a past which he only wants to forget. 

Winning an English Pen Award, Xavier Le Clerc’s A Man With No Title is a son’s tribute to an enigmatic father, Mohand-Saïd Aït-Taleb, who lived a life ravaged by war and displacement. Mohand-Saïd’s journey from Kabylia to a metal factory in Normandy illustrates an identity in perpetual motion which finds inscription in literature. In A Man With No Title, this immigrant father filled with humility and acceptance becomes the central figure of a book that brings awareness to the experience of colonisation, war, self-sacrifice, work and above all, to oneself.

Chaired by Georgia de Chamberet, Éric Chacour and Xavier Le Clerc will discuss their books which both survey the liminal space between the past and the present via the intimacy of the individual.

The event will be followed by a book signing with the authors, whose books (in English and French) will be sold by La Page at the entrance.

About the guests

 

Éric Chacour was born in Montreal to Egyptian parents and has lived in France and Québec. He has a degree in applied economics and international relations and now works in the financial sector. Published in 2023, his first novel, Ce que je sais de toi (What I Know About You) became a bestseller, winning three literary prizes: the Prix Femina des lycéens, the Prix première Plume and the Prix des cinq continents de la francophonie. In 2024, the book was shortlisted for the Prix littéraire des collégiens. Translated in English by Pablo Strauss, What I Know About You is published by Gallic Books.

 

Xavier Le Clerc is a celebrated French-Algerian novelist and poet. His third novel Un homme sans titre (2022) was met with wide critical acclaim in France where it was awarded four literary prizes: the Prix de l’Académie des Belles Lettres et des Sciences Caen, the Prix de la Grande Mosquée de Paris, the Prix du live de La Tribune and the Grand Prix du Roman Métis. Translated in English by William Rodarmor, A Man With No Title, was published by Saqi Books and received the English Pen Award. Born Hamid Aït-Taleb, he changed his name in his early thirties due to discrimination. Born in Kabylia, Algeria, Xavier grew up in Normandy and now lives with his husband between Paris and Kent.

 

Georgia de Chamberet is an editor, translator, cultural journalist and former book publisher. She has translated a number of non-fiction books into English and was one of the original founder-members of English PEN’s Writers in Translation committee. De Chamberet is the founder of BookBlast Ltd, a London-based writing agency showcasing new or overlooked writers.

     

Edinburgh