THE FRENCH NOTEBOOK TOUR
Books make us travel. In The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain, we run through the streets of Paris in search of a mysterious lady having left behind nothing but a red notebook. In George’s Grand Tour by Caroline Vermalle, two charming octogenarians drag us along with them on the adventure of their life, for a road trip following every stages of the Tour de France. But remember writers also do travel: Antoine Laurain and Caroline Vermalle will be in London, just for you, on the 29th and 30th of April! Ready to share your journey experiences?
Who are they?
Antoine Laurain was born in Paris and is a journalist, antiques collector and the author of five novels. The President’s Hat, a charming fable set in the Mitterrand years, was such a big success that the writer was invited to a tour of the USA in 2013, that went beyond all his dreams. Antoine Laurain related this amazing trip and the curious encounters he made in an article for the European literature night, which shortlisted his book last year.
Riddle: there is a special guest in The Red Notebook, famous for having won the most renowned price for literature. Who is it? (if you don’t know, here Antoine Laurain will help you)
Caroline Vermalle was born in France in 1973. After graduating from film school in Paris, she became a television documentary producer for the BBC in London and travelled the world, at speed and off the beaten tracks, in search of good stories. After writing seven novels in different genres and different languages, going on a world tour with her family and building a wooden house in a forest, Caroline now lives between a small seaside town in Vendée (France) and a small seaside town in the Eastern Cape (South Africa) with her son, a black cat and her husband, South African architect-turned-author Ryan von Ruben.
Her last book published in the UK, George’s Grand Tour, is so tender that many readers thought it was autobiographical. See Caroline Vermalle’s answer here.