Philippe Claudel is known for his empathic writing style, which he uses to bring horrifying events back to their human proportions to teach us about how humans act and feel. In his latest novel Crépuscule, Claudel goes epic in the familiar style of Grey Souls and Brodeck’s Report. Crépuscule is a piercing allegory set in a sleepy village on the edge of the declining Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the frozen depth of winter, the local priest is found dead, his head crushed by a stone. Who could have hated the man so much, in a community where Christians and Muslims have always lived in harmony?

Claudel is a master in sensing the zeitgeist and unmasking power structures. In the process, he deftly links a historic reading to our current time. Reading Claudel always gives one the sense of travelling to another dimension.

We are pleased to welcome this great French author, and look forward to talking with him about his life and his work.

Philippe Claudel (1962) is an internationally renowned French author of novels, stories and screenplays. He draws inspiration for his writing from his career as a teacher in prisons and boys’ homes. He has published more than 30 books, and has directed several films. He broke through to a mass audience with his novel Grey Souls in 2003, which earned him the Prix Renaoudot award. His novel Brodeck’s Report (2007) was nominated for the Prix Goncourt and crowned with the Prix Goncourt des lycéens. His latest novel Crépuscule will appear in September 2023.

Claudel will be interviewed by Lidewijde Paris. Beforehand, Margot Dijkgraaf gives a laudation.