rights catalogue Plon | Les Escales Literature 2016
Foreign Rights Manager Florence Maletrez florence.maletrez@ editions-plon.com
CONTENTS PLON 4 Around the Sun karine silla
5 Monsieur is Dead karine silla
6 Wild Dunes marie dô
7 We Will Cross Together denis lemasson
8 No Ice on an Empty Heart patrick besson
9 Running after Shadows sigolène vinson
10 Our Solitary Souls luc blanvillain
11 Hold back the Night denis tillinac
12 The Deadly Alliance patrick weber
13 The Wolves of Sherwood nicolas digard
16 Anne F. hafid aggoune
17 Rudik, the other Nureev philippe grimbert
18 Love him or Leave him delphine de malherbe
19 Lennon david foenkinos
20 A Country with no Entry isabelle condou
21 Shapes of the Coming Day leonora miano
22 Letizia R. Bonaparte patrick de carolis
23 The Victory of Napoleon’s army
valéry giscard d’estaing
24 The Extravagant alexandra lapierre
25 The Thief of the Sancy juliette benzoni
LES ESCALES
14 The Chamber of Poison
26 Red
sylvie gibert
carl aderhold
15 Her Life through the Eyes of a Doll
27 The Captain
ingrid desjours
gérard gréverand
Editions Plon In 1852, Henri Plon and his two brothers founded Editions Plon, and were awarded the title of Imprimeur de l’Empereur (Emperor’s publisher). They published the correspondence of Louis XIII, Marie Antoinette and Napoleon I. Today, Plon still publishes numerous international stars, among whom the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Jane Fonda, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, and works from personalities such as Sir Winston Churchill or George W. Bush. In literature, Salman Rushdie, Norman Mailer, Nadine Gordimer, Anne Rice or Donna Tartt. PLON is a leader in France in the field of the political, economy and societal documents. Its prestigious collections count authors such as Claude Lévi-Strauss or Simone Weil, and the works of several French Presidents such as the General de Gaulle, Georges Pompidou, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing or François Mitterrand, as well as titles from women around them, Claude Pompidou, Bernadette Chirac and more recently, Geneviève De Gaulle-Anthonioz. PLON belongs to Editis— the 2nd publishing company in France—and to the Spanish group Planeta. Both by its history and by the prestige of its publications, Plon is one of the flagship brands of the company.
Florence Maletrez florence.maletrez@editions-plon.com +33 (0) 1 44 16 09 30
Agathe Bourachot agathe.bourachot-ext@edi8.fr +33 (0) 1 44 16 09 66
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Foreign Rights Assistant
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Foreign Rights Manager
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Around the Sun karine silla 288 pages | January 2016
When Louise walks away from everything for a new love and a new life in Vietnam, she erases her past and everyone who was in it. In France, her daughter, Marie, thinks she’s dead.
One rainy day, Louise meets a
no; a mother who mumbles while
man in a train. Within minutes,
staring into the void of her memory;
the young woman has decided to
and a child, Marie, whose needs she
leave her boringly comfortable life
never seemed to understand and
behind for the sake of this man who
whose existence she has hidden
smiles at her, whose green eyes
from the man on the train.
look straight into her own, and who
Despite her conviction that she
describes the names, the towns and
has done the right thing, the secret
the oceans of his country, Vietnam.
gradually overwhelms Louise, Marie
His happiness contaminates her,
and their loved ones.
sweeping her off her feet.
After Monsieur est mort, Karine
With him, she is reborn. In a tiny
Silla continues to explore how
little house at the southern tip of
family secrets continue to echo and
Vietnam, in the middle of vast
ricochet.
expanses of shimmering green marshland, she discovers true love,
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pleasure and joy, and gives birth to
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a son who is as beautiful as the land of his father, which has become his mother’s home, too. But Louise has left behind a husband whom she married because she didn’t know how to say
Playwright, filmmaker and screenplay-writer, karine silla is the author of Monsieur est mort, a critically acclaimed début novel published by Plon in 2014. FRENCH SALE — PAPERBACK (POCKET)
Monsieur is Dead karine silla 208 pages | August 2014
Does the death of one’s father signify that it is time for the end of the secrets and the unsaid, time for forgiveness? Or is it the time for resurgent guilt?
for a reunion dinner that turns into
novel is Vincent, the second of
with too many painful memories, all
a free-for-all. And now he must
four sons of the Rambaldi family.
of which come back to him during
confront still another ordeal: how
Fifteen years ago, he conquered
his distraught and solitary flight
will he react when he must face his
his addiction to heroin by himself,
from the scene. Louis Rambaldi, a
father’s corpse ?
thanks to an energetic plunge into
monster who insisted that everyone
Pascal’s Pensées, and left for India,
call him “Monsieur”, had reduced
where he became a foreman in Mr
his wife to a slave and did his sons
Kumar’s workshop, in Calcutta.
no service in their upbringing,
There, he tried to find a simple kind
giving each of them a monthly
of happiness.
allowance of 40,000FR on condition
But once again, destiny comes
that, following his example, they
knocking at his door, in a phone
should never work! This sinister
call from his mother: “Your father is
education completely demolished
dead.” Vincent considers mourning
them. Gabriel, the eldest, commit
a mere « formality », since, in his
suicide after his father had forced
mind, he burned his bridges long
him into perverse sexual acts.
ago. And he could ignore the
Julien, the youngest, who married
whole thing, but instead he drops
young to escape his family, has
everything and returns to Paris for
failed at everything and become
the funeral. And yet, once he arrives
a violent junkie. And last, Tristan,
at the foot of the building where
who is miserable, tries to create an
he grew up—Louis Rambaldi, heir
identity by cross-dressing. Vincent,
of a family of Italian industrialists,
of course, took off in order to save
once owned the entire building,
himself. So, what if he were to just
which he turned into a fabulous
turn around and go back to India,
museum to his own ego—Vincent
without seeing anyone? Finally, he
is incapable of going up to the
decides to go upstairs, to go home,
Karine Silla is a playwright, screenwriter, and director, and one can sense all three in this restrained first novel, in monologues, in flashbacks, an original and well-plotted work. A true story that has become fiction — one that Mauriac would have adored. FRENCH SALE — PAPERBACK (POCKET)
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apartment. He is suddenly flooded
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The narrator of this unusual
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Wild Dunes marie dô 224 pages | March 2016
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A funny and moving novel echoing to our lifelong quests for meaning, and our attempts to free ourselves from the contemporary individualist hubris.
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Sebastian is an extremely busy
new neighbors: a guru that speaks
40something. He goes fast, travels
to his defunct wife; a cougar artist
far, and works a lot. Too much?
plagued by self-doubt along with
Since he divorced Tess, nothing
her abandoned husband and
works out. Neither drunken nights
his overwhelming good mood; a
nor sleeping pills can shut down
young, pretty and mysterious yoga
his regrets, his guilt, and his arising
teacher…
existential crisis.
Will Sebastian let go of his clothes?
The alarming diagnosis of his
How profoundly will be able to
doctor is unquestionable: he
reassess himself?
needs a vacation. However, the
Will this odd summer remain
catastrophic state of his bank
a nightmarish experience? Or
account leaves no room for
will it help him emerge from his
extravagance. Ironically, he will
devouring existential crisis?
have to stay in a bungalow at camp
This bittersweet novel, fun and
Robinson, one that he bought to
moving, filled with gleams of
his wife ten years ago to make up
sunshine, exposes a self quest
for his recurring absence – and in
against the backdrop of a midlife
which he never set foot in.
crisis. It also tells the story of an
When he gets there, a big surprise
attempt to escape from the hubris of
awaits, Sebastian is appalled: Camp
individualism in order to find new
Robinson is in fact a naturist camp!
horizons.
A nightmare for this control-freak, obsessed by his appearance. Among the dunes in his birthday suit, Sebastian is at odds with the ghost of his ex-wife, his doubts and his regrets. To make things worse, he has to comply with his
Marie Dô is a dancer, choreagrapher, and a comedian. Her former novel Fais danser la poussière, was adapted into a movie and met a wide audience. It sold 20.000 copies in France, and was translated to Italian by Piemme.
We Will Cross Together denis lemasson January 2016 | 400 pages
In the centre of Paris, Luc, a former French doctor, witnesses the murder of an Afghani refugee. Why did he have to die?
On an April Sunday in Villemin
Kabul to Paris, gradually unveiling
Square, in the centre of Paris, Luc
their truth about the murder, are
is an eyewitness to the murder of
woven into Luc’s investigation.
an Afghani refugee. Why did he
How can the story of two Afghans
have to die? In order to answer the
who have travelled halfway around
dead man’s 4-year-old daughter’s
the world in search of shelter have
question, Luc launches into an
dire consequences thousands of
investigation that will revive
kilometres away? How can a fight
his own past as a humanitarian
in a Parisian park echo in a village
doctor, seven years after he left
Nangarhâr Province?
Afghanistan.
This fascinating investigation
Caught in his own separation and
creates a crime-fiction atmosphere
fatherhood issues, in attempting to
while giving a face and a body
explore the life of Zaher, the victim,
to the issue of immigration, for a
Luc is drawn into the previously
multiple-narrator novel that calls
unseen world of refugees and of
our entire society into question.
those who assist and guide them: celebrities, politicians, police officers and more… The stories of Mehdi and Wahid, two Afghans who describe their surreal travels from
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Currently a doctor in Paris, Denis Lemasson has worked for Doctors Without Borders, in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Les routes fantômes (published in 2004 by Folies d’encre) was his first novel.
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social workers, volunteers, doctors,
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No Ice on an Empty Heart patrick besson 192 pages | January 2016
Vincent Lagarde attracts the most stunning women, despite his weak heart and repulsive looks. When the sublime Karima agrees to marry him, no one can understand why…
Vincent Lagarde has a weak heart
love story? In an atmosphere not
and an equally weak character; yet
unlike a Simenon novel, Patrick
despite his many flaws–chronic
Besson explores small and large
congestive heart failure, an (overly?)
lies, betrayal and guilt, stinginess
close relationship to his mother,
and family plotting, all over a while
lack of education, ugliness—he
offering a social critique that is no
manages to seduce the most
less ferocious for staying in the
beautiful women, marry them, and
background.
turn them into his devoted full-time care-givers. His neighbour watches first Vanessa, then Sonia, each more beautiful than the last, move in next door—and tries to draw them to his bed and to resolve the mystery of their fascination with Vincent. When rich, beautiful, independent
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Karima’s turn comes, he becomes
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obsessed with trying to understand how a woman like that could marry a man like Vincent. What event in her past could push her into his arms? Is it really just another
An atypical and iconoclastic writer, Patrick Besson has had over 40 novels published. He won the 1985 Grand prix de l’Académie française and the 1995 Prix Renaudot. He has been a member of the Prix Renaudot jury since 2000, and is a feared literary critic. FRENCH SALE — PAPERBACK (POCKET)
Running after Shadows sigolène vinson 208 pages | August 2015
Paul Deville works as a trader in Africa for a Chinese corporation, while also trying to find poems that Arthur Rimbaud never wrote. A gripping immersion in the mechanisms of globalisation, as well as an ode to poetry.
7000 copies sold already
his tragic fate: Mariam, the Somali
« A contemporary novel ;
for a large Chinese company
fisherwoman who feeds herself
teaching us in magnificent prose
based in East Africa. From the Bab
with fish, not hope; Cush, a former
that it is - sometimes - better to
el Mandeb Straits to the Gulf of
illegal immigrant whose only dream
surrender. »
Aden, he travels around the Horn of
is to make it back to the West;
| Telerama
Africa in a “pearl necklace” strategy,
Louise, a fellow Frenchperson, who
building a network of naval bases
is going back to Dunkirk with her
« A poetic, wrenching and
to guarantee access to the natural
dissatisfaction about her life that
sensitive narrative–not unlike the
resources that China so desperately
seems almost obscene in a place
author herself. »
needs.
where people are dying of hunger;
| Charlie Hebdo
A talented economist, Paul is torn
and finally, Harg, the Afar ancestor
between his contribution to the
who joins Paul in his quest for
new Chinese imperialism and
Rimbaud’s lost poems, but who can’t
his dreams of poetry and fiction.
ignore the damage the Western
To keep from losing himself, he
World has inflicted on his country
searches tirelessly for Arthur
and his culture. Having been driven
Rimbaud’s «unwritten writing.»
by poverty and war into piracy, Harg
Aghast at the damage he is
will be the instrument of Paul’s
wreaking in a part of the world that
tragic end.
has fascinated him since he was a child, he flees from port to port, leading to encounters that are like pearls strung on the necklace of
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Born in 1974, Sigolène Vinson, a former lawyer, is a journalist (Charlie Hebdo, Causette and others) and a novelist. She was raised in Djibouti and now lives in Paris.
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Frenchman Paul Deville works
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Our Solitary Souls luc blanvillain 336 pages | August 2015
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In both his career and his couple, Clément analyses and calculates everything… Until the day he meets the emotionally damaged and unpredictable Meryl.
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At Vogal Software, a high-
try to appear normal. She is the
tech company on the thirteenth
boss’s daughter, and her power is
floor of a skyscraper overlooking
incalculable.
Paris, ambitious Clément has been
An unusual relationship soon
managing his career skilfully.
springs up between them. A new
Super-adaptable, super-connected,
alliance is possible, a Faustian
Clément analyses, stocks, sorts and
contract. Will Clément lose his
takes advantage of the slightest
freedom or win the place he so
sign of weakness to surge past his
ardently desires: a glass-walled
rivals. His girlfriend, Myriam, is
corner office, endless carpeting and
his most faithful ally in his battle
the luxury of silence.
for power. Their evenings together
With precision and delicacy, Luc
have turned into affectionate
Blanvillain reveals the absurdity
debriefings about missed chances
of our contemporary quirks, and
and trying again. But the world isn’t
questions the ties that hold us
that cut and dry. Complex, messy
back: the burden of parental love,
life oozes in, slowing him down,
all-consuming ambition, the soft
overwhelming his thoughts… and
fragility of couples, the tedium of
leading him to meet Meryl.
always having to be what people
She is a young woman who
expect.
doesn’t go outside very much, and throws up a lot. Sensitive, strange, emotionally damaged, she doesn’t
Luc Blanvillain has written several well-received YA novels. He is a professor of French and literature, and lives in Morlaix, Brittany.
Hold back the Night denis tillinac 180 pages | September 2015
on the goncourt prize’s longlist 10.000 copies sold already Through the prism of a passionate affair between two lovers in their 60s, the sweetly cruel story of a generation – the lost children of the Baby Boom.
This is the story of a youthful
them. The tight little social circle of
affair between two aging lovers.
their provincial town will carry them
François and Hélène are both in
far away, with both crazy happiness
their sixties. They are both married
and deep sadness.
and have children and parents in either elder-care or the ground.
Split in two parts, this book is a long
Indolent, absent-minded François
letter written first by François, and
is a doctor with an office in a village
in the second hand, by Hélène. Each
by the Loire River, with a view of
tells about the same events, but with
Chaumont Castle, and a blue-blood
each one’s different point of view.
spouse named Claire.
Do they have the same?
Bored Hélène, the disappointed wife of a nouveau-riche ad man, is the mother of a social-climbing 40-something on the verge of his first divorce. Love—the real thing—takes them a hard time believing it’s true. They dedicate their lives, body and soul, to this burning passion whose secrecy both protects and imprisons
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both by surprise. At first, they have
Author of over 40 books – fiction, non-fiction and poetry – that have earned him many accolades, Denis Tillinac’s work includes Je nous revois… (I Can Still See Us… Gallimard, 2006, Folio, 2008), Le Dictionnaire amoureux de la France (A France Lover’s Dictionary, Plon, 2008) and La nuit étoilée (The Starry Night, Plon, 2013).
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The Deadly Alliance patrick weber 336 pages | février 2016
On May 6th 1938, the Fuehrer pays a visit to the Duce, in Roma while a young archeologist gets caught in the middle of peculiar events that could change the course of History.
May 6th 1938, Mussolini welcomes
rebel-at-heart daughter of Bianchi
Hitler in Roma to celebrate the
Bandinelli is part of the scheme.
alliance of Fascism and Nazism. The
The attack highly threatens Sandro,
Duce has planned everything for
the “black” brother of Rocchi, and a
this day to be unforgettable.
fervent backer of the regime.
And unforgettable it will be, for
Torn between his desire to
Claudio Rocchi included: this
impress Luisa and the call to save
archeologist from Predappio -
his brother’s life; fearing for his
where Mussolini was born - is
own career and foreseeing the
trying to climb the career ladder,
tragedies to come; the mission that
raising no objections to the misuse
Rocchi once saw as an amazing
of Archeology by the fascist
opportunity to get a promotion
propaganda. When he and his
turns into a nightmare.
master the Professor Ranucio
A hero in spite of himself, Rocchi is
Bianchi Bandinelli—a Tuscan
caught up in an episode that could
aristocrat who abhors the regime—
change the course of History.
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are assigned the mission to guide
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the Duce and the Fuehrer through their journey in Rome, Rocchi sees it as his chance to shine. Soon, he discovers that an attack is impending to free Europe of the two dictators. Luisa, the beautiful and
Patrick Weber is an Art Historian and an Archeologist specialized in royalty. Since 2011, he is the « royal contributor » of a belgian radio program. He has published numerous historical novels, essays and documents, as well as movies and graphic novels scenarios. He lives between Brussels, Paris and Rome.
The Wolves of Sherwood The real Robin Hood nicolas digard 480 pages | April 2016
What if everything that has ever been written about Robinhood was false? In the stark reality of 1189’s England, here is the real story of Robin of Loxley, Prince of the thieves of Sherwood, from the birth of his legend to his tragic ending.
Everybody knows Robinhood,
deserved—ending, and of the birth
the big-hearted thief, robbing from
of his legend.
the rich and giving to the poor,
Robinhood is an enthralling figure,
living in hiding with his merry men
yet there are few novels about his
in the forest of Sherwood, and the
life, which has never been explored
passionate lover of Marianne. What
in its complexity. This novel
if everything was false?
uncovers the man behind the myth.
Replacing Robin of Loxley in a real
For the first time, an historical myth
historical context, in the stark and
is deconstructed and relocated in
violent reality of the middle-age
its much more realistic, somber and
England, this novel sheds a more
violent context. Fascinating.
nuanced light on this legendary
An effective and modern writing
character.
for a surprising narrative, leading to
Robin of Loxley never was the
a sizable final climax: who is the «
romantic gentleman that he is
real » Robinhood?
usually depicted as. Marianne never was his lover: she played a Lionheart merely spent six months in England. Little-John and his comrades were not merry men. Here is the real story of Robin of Loxley, Prince of thieves of
Nicolas Digard is an author and screenwriter for children’s books, graphic novels, and television. The wolves of Sherwood is his first novel.
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Sherwood, of his tragic—and maybe
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way more crucial part. Richard the
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The Chamber of Poison sylvie gibert 352 pages | March 2016
At the end of the 19th century in Paris, women were attempting to make a mark on the art world – and on the world itself. In the wake of the charming Zélie Murineau, The Chamber of Poisons recounts a fascinating investigation.
Paris, 1880. The Académie Julian
refuse the assignment of the
(now Penninghen School of Art)
handsome Police Chief. From
is the first to open its doors to
shady public houses to upper class
women. Yet, life is not easy for
receptions, she will help him discern
them. Learning the trade of a
what only the great master painters
painter is an arduous, long and
are able to see: the truth hidden
expensive process. Only talented
behind appearances.
– and persistent - young ladies will
Elegantly written, this novel exposes
overcome the obstacles along the
two fascinating realms: the daily life
way.
of a police station and the art world
Zélie Mourineau does not lack
in the age of impressionism.
talent, nor character. In the past, she proved that she was up for anything, and unveiled a real talent for pastiche. When Alexandre d’Arboug, the
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Police Chief of the Palais Royal
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station, hires her to paint the portrait of his goddaughter, Zélie’s confidence is shaken: Is she threatened? Does this order masks somber intentions? No matter the risks, she cannot
Sylvie Gibert is the author of three novels published by de Borée. She lives and works in Toulouse.
Her Life through the Eyes of a Doll ingrid desjours 336 pages | March 2013
25.000 copies sold! A close cousin to Dorian Gray, Barbara’s answer to the murderous psychosis that has possessed her is to place her life in the hands of a porcelain doll.
At twenty-four, Barbara has
scars than Frankenstein’s. He is the
forgotten the horror she lived
first one to perceive the connection
through one winter evening in a
between the little aesthetician and
deserted park. And yet, she did not
the monster who tortures men at
return unaccompanied from that
nightfall. Ready to do anything
incursion to the heart of pain and
to catch her in the act, he will not
terror, bringing with her a vision, a
hesitate to run roughshod over
tenacious hallucination that appears
the rules to stop the escalation of
in glimpses in the bits and pieces
violence.
of her nightmares. The young
But during the investigation, he
woman cannot escape from this
realizes that Barbara may not
image. Haunted, obsessed, she is
necessarily be the one controlling
compelled by an undying thirst for
her madness, and that others close
vengeance she transfers to the doll
to her may benefit from its ongoing
she has just bought.
consequences. And that he must
And that is how the sweet and
save her too.
unassuming Barbara is gradually who commits the most hideous atrocities in her name. Close on her heels is Marc Percolès, a provocative and all-knowing cop whose body and soul have more
- plon january 2016
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Born in 1976, Ingrid Desjours is a psychologist who specializes in psychocriminology. Having practiced in Belgium, where she worked with sex offenders, today she is a novelist and screenwriter. Her previous works are Echo and Potens (Plon, 2009 and 2010), both well received by critics and the public.
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possessed by an evil double
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Anne F. hafid aggoune 162 pages | August 2015
After one of his students commits a terrorist attack, a young teacher turns to Anne Frank, his « Jewish little sister ». A novel that explores our contemporary identity crisis, radicalisation, the role of education in transmitting democratic principles.
After one of his students commits
the light?
« A genuine praise of tolerance
a terrorist attack, the narrator,
While reminding us of the power
and transmission, this beautiful
an idealistic writer and teacher
of books and of words, our still
and introspective novel hits
who was devoted both to the
youthful forty-something teacher
home »
transmission of knowledge and to
will examine his own existence, his
| L’obs
literature, is devastated. As a son of
vocation and his country’s youth,
immigrant parents who achieved
many of whom are torn between
integration through education, he
tragic events and an identity crisis
feels overwhelmingly guilty and
that reverberates with the darkest
unable to shoulder the burden of
pages of modern European history.
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- plon january 2016
a failure that he sees as entirely
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his. So he burrows into his worn
He also portrays a father who was
old copy of Anne Frank’s Diary,
essential to his son’s education
which he hadn’t opened since his
about both civic and secular
school days. In a desperate bid to
principles, a father who ran
find meaning in his life once again,
marathons to try to hold back the
he decides to write a letter to his
passage of time. But above all,
“Jewish little sister,” bringing her
he looks directly at the dirty little
back to life in his pages. Will his
secret that no one in his family ever
moving letter bring this man – who
mentions: his mother’s Jewish roots.
is searching for a way to make
Unmentioned until that point, they
peace with both himself and his era
will form the heart of the tale, until
– out of the darkness and back into
the final, liberating outcome.
Born in Saint Etienne in 1973, Hafid Aggoune has written several well-received novels, including Les Avenirs (“The Futures”, Fénéon Prize and L’Armitière Prize). He lives and works in Paris.
Rudik, the other Nureev philippe grimbert 180 pages | January 2015
15.000 copies sold already! A journey into the life story of a living legend
Tristan Feller, a Parisian
psychoanalyst…The aura of this
« An easy and often funny read,
psychoanalyst, is reputed to
singular man imposes such an
Philippe Grimbert’s novel subtly
have received a great number
unusual pace in the therapeutic
challenges the questions raised by
of celebrities from the world of
relationship that Feller rapidly
the existence of those who refuse
performance or literature in his
finds himself destabilized by his
any form of self-analysis. »
consulting room. Wiser after these
encounter with the star.
| le monde
years of practice, he enjoys this
Which one will actually lead the
reversal of the situation in which
dance and become the analyst of
these inaccessible idols strip
the other?
themselves of their mask to become once again, through psychoanalytic transfer, trembling children who place their destiny in his hands. One encounter with an uncommon patient will nonetheless upset his usual analytic behavior and bring him, against his will, to different light. Returning from his first visit to Russia since his famous leap towards liberty, Rudolf Nureyev confides the reasons for his profound depression to his
- plon january 2016
Philippe Grimbert is a psychoanalyst, writer, and essayist. His former novel, Un secret (Grasset, 2004 – Prix Wiso and Grand Prix des lectrices de Elle), was translated into 15 languages and met popular and critical success. He is also the author of several essays, about psychoanalysis.
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experience his practice in a
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Love him or Leave him Colette’s Latest Love Affair delphine de malherbe 129 pages | August 2011
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Delphine de Malherbe imagines the moving confession of the greatest French writer of the 20th century, Colette.
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1920. Crowned with success,
wearing men’s suits, or displaying a
young writer given to bridging
Colette had been married for
breast. She opened her home to the
taboos, journalist and recent author
the past eight years to Henry de
wounded of World War I, became
of a steamy play, herself the child
Jouvenel, politician and editor in
a court reporter and theatre critic,
of a forbidden love, treats the life of
chief of the newspaper Le Matin,
won recognition when she was
the great writer like a treasure hunt,
when she first discovered his
elected to the Académie Goncourt,
one upon which she embarks armed
infidelity. Stunned and dismayed,
and launched her own cosmetic
with a scalpel.
she invited Henry’s 17-year-old son,
line. Her loves were many and
Bertrand, to her home in Brittany—
varied, men and women, her actions
and promptly fell in love with him.
judged so scandalous she was
Acting decisively, Colette
denied religious rites at her burial.
confronted her own contradictions
Delphine de Malherbe gives the
and decided to take subtle revenge
reader an intimate glimpse into
for the past. For the naïve 20-year
the head and the heart of this
old whose talent and virginity were
woman of passion and subtle
stolen by Willy, her first husband,
contradictions in the space of an
who signed the books she wrote
imagined session of psychoanalysis.
with his own name and paraded
She ascribes a disturbing truth
his mistresses under her nose.
to this icon who was so ahead of
When she left him to earn her
her times, more outrageous than
own living, (rather than his), she
Vivienne Westwood and Patti Smith
refined her writing skills and took
combined, friend of Cocteau and
to doing audacious things, like
Proust. Delphine de Malherbe, a
Delphine de Malherbe, one of the most talented and sensual pens among young French writers, is the author of two remarkable novels, La femme interdite (Lattès, 2006), and Vie Érotique (Robert Laffont, 2008). She is also a literary critic and a successful playwright. FOREIGN SALE — TURKEY (EVEREST PUBLICATION)
Lennon david foenkinos 238 pages | November 2010
MORE THAN 30.000 COPIES SOLD IN FRANCE! TRANSLATED INTO 6 LANGUAGES David Foenkinos draws an intimate and original portrait of John Lennon, musical icon of the 20th century, imagining what he might have said during a series of fictive psychoanalytic sessions and concentrating on a little-known period of his life.
After a rough childhood and a
The result is an imagined series of
precocious plunge into enormous
psychoanalytic sessions, between
celebrity, the decisive encounter
September 21, 1975, and December
with Yoko Ono and the years of
7, 1980, the eve of his assassination
drug-fogged aimlessness, John
by a mentally disturbed young man.
Lennon decided to interrupt his
In the form of an extended
career in 1975, at 35, to take care of
monologue, David Foenkinos takes
his son, Sean.
the universal symbol represented
For five years, in New York, he did
by a lead artist of the Beatles and
not produce an album and shied
offers the reader an intimate portrait
away from a media-dominated
of the man. Much more than a
existence, finding pleasure in the
biography, this book is above all the
simple things. It was during this
work of an accomplished writer.
period that he took the time to reflect upon the madness of his life until then. literature rights catalogue
- plon january 2016
FRENCH SALES — PAPERBACK (MARABOUT) | BOOKCLUB (FRANCE LOISIRS) FOREIGN SALES — ITALY (NEW BOOK) | SPAIN (SANTILLANA) | RUSSIA (AST) | POLAND (ZNAK) | KOREA (THE OPEN BOOKS CO) ROMANIA (RAO).
David Foenkinos is the author of several novels, including La délicatesse, 2009, Nos séparations, 2008, Qui se souvient de David Foenkinos ? (Prix Giono 2007) and Le potentiel érotique de ma femme, published in 2004, for which he was awarded the Prix RogerNimier.
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A Country with no Entry isabelle condou 312 pages | August 2013
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- plon january 2016
A stowaway on a freighter threatens to impede the voyage of three Europeans. What will prevail, the desire to help him or the inclination to ignore any humane instinct and just get on with their trip?
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A stowaway on a freighter
whose life is at stake.
« In the bay, the freighters at
threatens to impede the voyage
Leaning over the ocean mirror,
anchor turned their prows into
of three Europeans. What will
Bohdan, Marek, and Josephine, all
the wind (….) From here, the
prevail, the desire to help him or the
three of them loners, individuals
stowaway could have swum
inclination to ignore any humane
at once complex and monstrously
to shore, it was still possible
instinct and just get on with their
banal, heave the man into the sea,
to throw him overboard from
trip?
drowning as well their desires
here »
Aboard a freighter travelling
and their fears. This is a tale that
| Le Monde des Livres
between Europe and the Pacific,
explores a sadly familiar subject,
the discovery of a clandestine
the problem of clandestines and the
« Isabelle Condou’s Un pays qui
passenger creates a problem for
inhuman treatment that sometimes
n'avait pas de port an instant
three travelers who have paid their
leads to their simply being thrown
favorite. »
way. What should they do? Turn
overboard. Having spent several
| Cosmopolitan
him in? Help him to attain his
months on a freighter, the author
dream? Or just get rid of him? Their
is familiar with the unique ocean-
consciences stirred, relationships
going atmosphere that soon engulfs
are formed, ones that involve each
the reader’s imagination.
one’s past, but whatever their respective and fluctuating positions regarding this man who has no right to expect anything of them, the personal concerns of each take precedence over those of the man
Plon has already published three works by Isabelle Condou: Il était disparu (2004), Solitude de l’aube (2007), and La Perrita (2009). This novel has been chosen by major French bookstore chains and was also awarded the Grand prix des lecteurs du web for the French novel.
Shapes of the Coming Day leonora miano 280 pages | August 2006
The initiatory journey of a little girl who continues to believe in the future of an Africa that no longer knows how to love its children
80.000 COPIES SOLD IN FRANCE! TRANSLATED INTO 6 LANGUAGES GUEST OF HONOUR FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR 2015
War has ravaged Mboasu, this
All along her arduous journey, she
imaginary African state that is only
talks to her mother, who symbolizes
too true to life, bleeding the country
an Africa that has lost its bearings.
dry. Families no longer able to care
Musango embodies the generation
for their children accuse them of
of those who must build without
being the source of misfortune and
past references.
chase them from home. And so little Musango becomes a street kid.
Will her encounter with the young
Kidnapped, then sold by traffickers
Mbalé signal a new dawn for the
in child trade, she is sequestered
entire continent?
by pimps who use the activities of a religious sect to mask their unspeakable commerce in flesh. Determined to return to her mother, Musango escapes, fleeing across a country gone mad, victim of unprecedented moral and material
- plon january 2016
FRENCH SALES — PAPERBACK (POCKET) FOREIGN SALES — BRAZIL (PALLES EDITORA) | ITALY (EDIZIONE EPOCHE) | PORTUGAL (EUROPRESS) | SWEDEN (SEKWA) | CHINA (YINPANG BROTHER PUBLISHING )
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poverty.
Léonora Miano grew up in Cameroon and now lives in Paris. Her first novel, L’Intérieur de la nuit, was immensely successful, garnering two literary prizes and leading the list of Lire magazine’s « Best French novels of the year ». Her latest work is, once again, devoted to Africa and demonstrates anew the power of an incisive and entrancing style.
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Letizia R. Bonaparte patrick de carolis 400 pages | October 2014
After his two best-sellers, Les Demoiselles de Provence and La Dame du Palatin, Patrick de Carolis presents the fictionalized diary of Napoleon’s mother, based upon original archives to which he was granted access. 30.000 COPIES ALREADY SOLD! HIS PREVIOUS BOOK LA DAME DU PALATIN SOLD 60.000 COPIES!
« Who could have foreseen such
too fragile to rule. My daughters
loved them all so much, but I have
a glorious future? How can one
were flighty or ambitious, brilliant
suffered so. Am I not the mother of
imagine giving birth to so many
and fickle. Jerome was immature
all sorrows? » Patrick de Carolis
kings and queens, princes and
and a spendthrift. My heart bleeds
princesses, and to this demi-god
for all of them. They enjoyed the
who made all of Europe tremble?
greatest honors, and today they are
The flight of the eagle. The Battle
stateless. They turn to me for help,
of Italy and the 18 of Brumaire,
a source of support. My thriftiness,
the Consulat and then the Empire,
this miserliness of which all accuse
and we, his family, caught up in
me, allows me to soften their
the wake of his fabulous destiny.
burdens.
Named Imperial Highness by the
Mater Napoleonis I have been, to
grace of my son, I shall never forget,
the point of exhaustion. I’ve seen it
despite all the wealth and glory,
all — the farewells of Fontainebleau,
that the initials of my title were
the retreat to the Island of Elba,
limited to L.R.B (Letizia Ramolino
the Hundred Days and the final
Bonaparte).
fall, and exile to Saint Helena. I
I never allowed myself to be
wanted to join him there, but he
impressed by the finery of the
refused. In desperation, I wrote to
Empire, the only thing that mattered
all the crowned heads of Europe.
to me was the future of my children.
Nothing. Not even an answer. I was
Those who suffered the most were
inconsolable. And then this death
my favorites. The fate of Lucien was
without honor, of which I learned
the source of my greatest despair.
later on. Elisa was no longer with
Refusing to take orders from his
us, Pauline was nearing the end
brother, he would be removed from
of her days, and then the Duc de
the succession. Joseph, the eldest,
Reichstadt and still others. My lot
hesitated in his choices; Louis was
of misfortunes seems limitless. I
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- plon january 2016
th
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FRENCH SALES — PAPERBACK (POCKET) | BOOKCLUB (FRANCE LOISIRS)
Patrick de Carolis is a journalist, producer, and host of «Des racines et des ailes» and «Le Grand Tour», programmes on France 3 television. President of France Télévisions from 2005 to 2010, he is the coauthor, with Bernadette Chirac, of Conversation (Plon, 2003). His two historical novels Les Demoiselles de Provence (2005) and La Dame du Palatin (2011) have both been best sellers.
The Victory of Napoleon’s army valéry giscard d’estaing 320 pages | January 2011
What if Napoleon had won the campaign of Russia?
25.000 COPIES SOLD IN FRANCE! TRANSLATED INTO 3 LANGUAGES
On September the 14th 1812,
the Niémen. The Russian army
Napoleon makes an entrance
is defeated – which inaugurates a
Moscow. His Generals are urging
new era. Back in France, Napoleon
him to leave immediately to avert
abdicates in favor of his adoptive
catastrophe. He therefore gives an
son, Eugene de Beauharnais, and
astonishing order to his Marshalls:
focuses on peace.
the Great Army will leave Moscow
Two hundred years after the facts,
and return to France the very next
Valéry Giscard d’Estaing rewrites
day.
History in this original and
Far from fleeing, he is actually
convincing novel, shedding light on
maneuvering to ambush Koutouzov,
the life of the times, the war, and two
and force him to attack.
passionate love stories.
François Beille—the real hero of this book—will stay in touch with the enemy, leading them to believe that the rearguard of the Great Army is dangerously close. Koutouzov rushes in the footsteps of the Emperor, hoping to prevent him from leaving the country. The battle will happen where Napoleon planned it, near Vilna, not far from
- plon january 2016
FRENCH SALES — PAPERBACK (J’AI LU) FOREIGN SALES — ARGENTINA (EDHASA) | POLAND (SONIA DRAGA) | RUSSIA (POLITICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA)
Born in Coblence (Germany) on february 2nd 1926, he won the french Presidential election in 1974. He continues to be a fervent advocate of the European Union, both polical and monetary.
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Once the misconception evaporates,
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The Extravagant alexandra lapierre 264 pages | May 2010
To dare to live is to triumph over all. In the waning 18th century when Marie Antoinette presided over Versailles, amid the embers of a century of danger, abuse, and sensuality, a grand lady of England created a scandal. A true story.
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- plon january 2016
40.000 COPIES SOLD!
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Her name was Elizabeth
went through disasters only she
« Lively, funny, bubbling, this
Chudleigh. A member of the lesser
could have survived. Indomitable,
true» novel by Alexandra
nobility, she became the King of
indestructible, she stood every
Lapierre is one of THE books
England’s protégé and the Empress
setback and then inevitably
of the summer. » | Le Nouvel
of Russia Catherine II’s friend.
bounced back, transforming her
Observateur
Married secretly at 23, she hid the
debacles into triumphs. Elizabeth
fact in order to marry the love of
Chudleigh’s will, courage, panache,
her life, the wealthiest duke in all
and free spirit were stronger than
of England. When the secret was
the forces of destiny.
discovered, she faced trial and
Alexandra Lapierre follows the
judgment at Westminster and the
traces of this splendid adventuress
threat of branding with a red hot
to the castles of England and on
iron. History’s most eventful and
the roads of Italy, France, and
tumultuous bigamy trial had begun!
Russia, for she left her mark on
Her passion for life was equal
nearly every European court. For
to her passion for love, pleasure
‘Miss Chudleigh’ everything was
and power. Elizabeth Chudleigh
possible. Everything, that is, except
never did anything half-way and
indifference towards life.
refused to limit her desires.She knew what she wanted by instinct, and, instinctively, she knew how to fight to get it. She weathered low blows, defeat and humiliation and FRENCH SALES — PAPERBACK (POCKET) | BOOKCLUB (FRANCE LOISIRS) FOREIGN SALES — SPAIN (EDITORIAL PLANETA | ITALY (IL SAGGIATORE)
Alexandra Lapierre’s tales of adventure are always backed up by solid research as she breathes life into the grand ladies History seems to have forgotten. She is the author of Fanny Stevenson (250 000 copies sold), which was awarded the « Grand Prix des lectrices de Elle »; Artemisia, which won the Sorbonne’s « Prix du XVIIe siècle » and was elected “Book of the Week” by the BBC, and Elles ont conquis le monde : les Grandes aventurières 1850-1950, which has been translated worldwide. Her latest work, published by Plon, Tout l’honneur des hommes, received the « Prix des Romancières ».
The Theft of the Sancy Carats for Ava?
juliette benzoni
THE QUEEN OF THE FRENCH HISTORICAL NOVEL. 456 pages | January 2016
Accused of stealing the famous diamond from the crown jewels of France, the Sancy, Aldo Morosini is about to embark on the most dangerous adventure of his life….
Because she gets him out of a
London, accompanied by Adalbert,
predicament without even realizing
to reestablish the truth.
it, Morosini in his delight promises
They are about to embark on the
the insufferable Ava Astor that he
most dangerous adventure of their
will get her a diamond, even if he
lives...
has to “steal it from the Tower of London!” He’s joking, of course, but without taking into account that Ava is as foolish as she is odious… Soon after, Ava shows up in Venice, demanding that he hand over the famous Sancy diamond, which has just been stolen from Lord Astor. As he doesn’t have it, of course, she accuses him of wanting to keep it for himself and turns him in to the Astor insists that Aldo, whom he’s never met, came to visit him that night and stole the Sancy. Dismayed by this situation and the growing scandal, Aldo goes to
- plon january 2016
FRENCH SALES — LARGE PRINT (LIBRA DIFFUSIO)
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police... Even more bizarre, Lord
Juliette Benzoni lives on the outskirts of Paris. Her books have a wide and loyal following. She is recognized as the queen of the French historical novel , with notably Le Boiteux de Varsovie (The Lame Man of Warsaw), La Florentine, (The Florentine woman), Marie les intrigues (Marie’s intrigues), Marie les passions (Marie’s passions), La perle de l’Empereur (The emperor’s pearl), Les larmes de Marie-Antoinette (Marie Antoinette’s tears), Le jeu de l’Amour et la Mort (The game of love and death), Secrets d’Etat (Secrets of state) and L’Anneau d’Atlantide (The ring of Atlantis); the series Le bal des poignards (The dance of daggers), La Chimère d’or des Borgia (The Borgia’s gold chimera) and La Collection Kledermann (The Kledermann collection); and the series La guerre des duchesses (The war of the duchesses).
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Les Escales
Domaine français The only true voyage of discovery, as Proust wrote in The Prisoner « would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes, to behold the universe through the eyes of another, of a hundred others ». To possess other eyes to enter the secret lives of men and women like us, in any place or time: this is the challenge taken on by our new imprint, Les Escales, under which the first authors to be published are Carl Aderhold, Vincent Engel, Diane Peylin, Gérard Gréverand and Jérôme Chantreau. From the tremors of History to somber family secrets Les Escales recounts modern odysseys in dazzling prose, unveiling lands of dream and escape. We hope you enjoy the books!
Red carl aderhold 320 pages | March 2015
In dazzling prose, Red recounts the incredible story of a French family caught up in the turmoil of the 20th century. A LANDMARK PUBLISHING EVENT TO LAUNCH OUR NEW IMPRINT: LES ESCALES – FRENCH LITERATURE
While emptying the house of
his life and that of his family into
his deceased father, Carl recovers
political theater?
a notebook from his childhood. On the front page in his own
Brought up with the contradictions
handwriting, the title is: “History
of ideology and its need for an
of my family”, and below “From
underlying fiction, Carl Aderhold
Köln to Paris, four generations
tells us the story of French youth,
of Aderholds”. Slowly, memories
but also that of the birth of a writer,
come to the surface: those of
for whom the remembrance of
his childhood, his family and its
failure is both a consolation and a
malediction.
serenade of love.
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What kind of curse did Peter—
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this ancestor who deserted
Red is the most intimate and
the German army right before
powerful novel yet by Carl
World War I to become a French
Aderhold, inaugurating a turn in
citizen—bring upon the Aderhold
his writing career. In the same
family? How about Georges, the
vein as editorial successes such
stern grandfather? Was he not
as Le Chagrin by Lionel Duroy
condemned to failure – he who
and Rien ne s’oppose à la nuit by
attempted one drunken night to
Delphine de Vigan, Red draws the
stop a whole SS regiment? And
portrait of a French family and its
what is there to say of the father,
misfortunes.
Pierre Decazes, a comedian and flamboyant communist who turned
A trained historian, Carl Aderhold was for a long time an editor, before dedicating himself to writing. He is the author of numerous acclaimed novels, Mort aux cons (Hachette Littératures) tremendously successful selling 170.000 copies, Les poissons ne connaissent pas l’adultère, Fermeture éclair (both published by JC Lattès).
The Captain gérard gréverand 300 pages | April 2016
An extraordinary journey through the 20th century, following the destiny of a Dutch sea captain across oceans.
1932. As he turns 15, Archibald
In this novel of entangled
Van Kortrijk, enrolls himself as
adventures, love stories and
ship’s boy on the Black Star, a
memories, from the mists of the
freighter that connects Amsterdam
Low Country to sultry Jakarta, you
to Cape Town. Onboard, he will
will encounter Rackham the Red
discover the roughness of the days
and Jacques Brel.
at sea, the promiscuity with of the crew, the bad food, but also the beauty of the world. One afternoon, a violent fight breaks out with the second in command on the ship, Andriezsoon. Bart may have won the fight, but he also won himself an enemy for life. 1949. Having spent a few years on land, Bart is finally able to sail without knowing that on this warm and mellow Island, he will meet the delightful Kusuma. Yet, some say that sailors marry no women but the sea herself…
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A former literature professor, Gérard Gréverand has worked for the Alliance Française in Amsterdam and Ankara. He now runs the Alliance Française of Nanjing. An author of children’s books and essays on language, this is his first novel.
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again. He embarks to Indonesia,
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CONTACT Foreign Rights Manager Florence Maletrez florence.maletrez@editions-plon.com +33 (0) 1 44 16 09 30
literature rights catalogue
- plon january 2016
Foreign Rights Assistant Agathe Bourachot agathe.bourachot-ext@edi8.fr +33 (0) 1 44 16 09 66
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