PLON Rights Catalogue | Fiction 2016

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

- plon january 2016

Foreign Rights Assistant

literature rights catalogue

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.

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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.

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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

- plon january 2016

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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.

- plon january 2016

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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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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- plon january 2016

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

literature rights catalogue

- 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

literature rights catalogue

- 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.

literature rights catalogue

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.

literature rights catalogue

- 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.

literature rights catalogue

- plon january 2016

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…

- plon january 2016

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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