Le Bristol Paris has announced a new monthly literary dinner series, dubbed "The Wine, the Books," to be held in the hotel's prestigious Salon Castellane, with all profits from the event donated to the American Hospital of Paris.
Each month, journalist Olivier Barrot will welcome famous authors to discuss their work during a three-course dinner created by Michelin three-star Chef Eric Frechon. To accompany dinner, Chef Sommelier Marco Pelletier will handpick a wine with the selected winemaker in attendance to share his knowledge about the wine. Fewer than 80 guests will attend the dinners, and each guest will receive a copy of the book signed by the invited author.
All proceeds from these dinners will be donated to the American Hospital of Paris, a not-for-profit institution created in 1906 to provide medical care in their own language for Americans residing in France regardless of their financial means. These donations will help finance the purchase of equipment and the construction of a new wing dedicated to the future oncology department.
Previous editions have hosted renowned literary figures, such as Philippe Labro, Hélène Carrère d'Encausse, Amélie Nothomb, Jean-Christophe Rufin, Tatiana de Rosnay, Florian Zeller and Marc Dugain.
The 2015-2016 season will feature the following authors:
October 8, Frédéric Mitterrand: The author, filmmaker and former Minister of Culture will present his latest book, La Récréation (Recess; éditions Robert Laffont), a personal diary about the corridors of power and a political journal of his three years in government.
November 5, Olivier and Patrick Poivre d'Arvor: Brothers and co-authors, their latest book L’Odyssée des Marins (The Odyssey of Sailors; éditions Robert Laffont) offers a portrait gallery of the adventurers of the sea: explorers, pirates, spice hunters, extreme sailors, and solo sailors. Magellan to Florence Artaud, Columbus to Surcouf, not to mention Jacques Cousteau.
December 3, Mona Ozouf: This historian, a philosopher by training, who has written on the French Revolution, the Republic and public schools, the Enlightenment and the status of women, will share her latest book, Œuvres, published by éditions Gallimard's Quarto collection.
February 4, Pascal Bruckner: The French novelist and essayist, author of Lune de Fiel (Bitter Moon), La tentation de l’Innocence (The Temptation of Innocence, Winner of the 1997 Prix Medicis de l'essai) and Les Voleurs de beauté (The Beauty Thieves), Prix Renaudot in 1997, reveals childhood shadows in his latest book, Un Bon Fils (A Good Son) published in 2014 by éditions Grasset.
March 3, Delphine de Vigan: A novelist and screenwriter for the films Tu Seras Mon Fils, 2011 (You Will Be My Son) and, more recently, director of the film A Coups Sûr (For Sure), and author of No et Moi (No and Me) and the Rien ne s’oppose à la nuit (Nothing Opposes the Night), presents her new novel D’après une histoire vraie (Inspired from a true story), to be published this fall by Editions JC Lattès.
April 7, Gilles Kepel: A professor at Sciences Po and expert on the Arab world, the political scientist and author of the books Jihad, Banlieue de la République (Suburbs of the Republic) Passion arabe and Passion française, les voix des cités (French Passion, Inner-City Voices) shares his knowledge, concerns and hopes in his latest essay, to be published in early 2016.
May 12, Jean-Louis Debré: The current president of the Constitutional Council and former Minister of the Interior writes political essays and biographies, including a recent book on Jacques Chirac. Debré has also written detective novels Le Curieux (The Curious) in 1986 and Meurtres à l’Assemblée (Murders in Parliament) in 2009.
June 2, Philippe Claudel of the Académie Goncourt: Over 15 years, the director of the films Il y a longtemps que je t’aime (I’ve Loved You So Long) and Tous les Soleils (All the Suns), has written some thirty novels, stories, poems and plays. The author of Les âmes grises (Grey Souls, Prix Renaudot), which was translated worldwide, will present his latest work, to be published in early 2016.
Tickets are $214 per guest. For reservations call 01 53 43 43 40.