This Thursday, June 1st at 6 PM at the Louis Nucéra Library
Franz-Olivier Giesbert presents his latest novel “Belle d’Amour” (published by Gallimard)
Expert in love, pastries, and troubadour songs, Tiphanie, known as Belle d’Amour, was one of the attendants of Saint Louis and took part, on the front lines, in the last two crusades in the East. However, her life, which could have been a fairy tale, often turns into a nightmare.
Cast at a very young age onto the roads of the kingdom after the execution of her parents, she is reduced to slavery in Paris, from where she escapes to heed the call of the crusaders, set sail for the Holy Land, and embark on a journey of initiation. Thanks to her healing skills, she earns the trust of the king before learning from him about Islam, war, and many other things.
A colorful and eventful epic, “Belle d’Amour” tells the tale of a woman’s destiny but also of the Middle Ages during the time of the crusades. An era that greatly resembles our own: politics and religion intermingle while the East and West war in the name of God.
Franz-Olivier Giesbert, writer and journalist, is the author of around fifteen novels, including “L’affreux,” Grand Prix of the French Academy novel in 1992, and “La souille,” Interallié Prize in 1995. He recently published with Gallimard “Dieu, ma mère et moi” in 2012, “La cuisinière d’Himmler” in 2014, and “L’Arracheuse de dents” in 2016, which earned him the Récamier novel prize.
