A changing of the guard among holders of the Sciences Po Chair of Writing: an exchange between Jérôme Ferrari and Tanguy Viel.
After Kamel Daoud, Marie Darrieussecq, Patrick Chamoiseau, Maylis de Kerangal, Louis-Philippe Dalembert, Alice Zeniter, Mathias Énard, Nathacha Appanah, Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, Karine Tuil, Yannick Haenel, Jakuta Alikavazovic and Sylvain Prudhomme, Carole Martinez, Jérôme Ferrari, Tanguy Viel is the new holder of the Sciences Po Chair of Writing in autumn 2026. Tanguy Viel is a French writer. Since his first novel The Black Note (1998, Éditions de Minuit), he has built a body of fiction marked by suspense, games of manipulation, and exploration of power dynamics. Among his most acclaimed novels are The Absolute Perfection of Crime (2001, Éditions de Minuit), a gangster narrative that subverts the conventions of noir fiction (Fénéon Prize and Vocation Prize), followed by Paris-Brest (2009, Éditions de Minuit), a family chronicle interweaving secrets, inheritance, and the desire for social emancipation (adapted into a TV film by Philippe Lioret for Arte). With The Disappearance of Jim Sullivan (2013, Éditions de Minuit), he humorously examines American narrative models and the mechanics of fiction. He achieves widespread success with Article 353 of the Penal Code (2017, Éditions de Minuit), a novel structured as a confession to a judge, exploring social inequalities and the redemptive power of narrative (Grand Prize RTL-Lire and François-Mauriac Prize). In 2021, he publishes The Girl They Call (Éditions de Minuit), a contemporary political fable that analyzes the mechanisms of control and masculine domination through the journey of a young woman confronting a local politician. His latest novel, Vivarium (2024, Éditions de Minuit), continues his reflection on social structures and contemporary forms of alienation. Tanguy Viel is also a screenwriter and received the 2023 César Award for Best Original Screenplay for The Innocent, co-written with Louis Garrel and Naïla Guiguet. The event will be moderated by student ambassadors from the House of Arts and Creation, accompanied by Delphine Grouès, director of the MAC. A book signing session with Tanguy Viel will be held following the event at the barge, at 27 rue Saint Guillaume.
Source: paris.fr — photo: (c) Sciences Po