Event Highlights: The Moors of Time
On Tuesday, October 1, we were delighted to welcome French author Patrick Autréaux back to the Center for the Study of Europe. Autréaux, currently a writer-in-residence at BU’s Department of Romance Studies, read the English translation, by Tobias Ryan, of a new essay on friendship, literary creation, death and time entitled “The Moors of Time.” The reading was followed by a conversation, moderated by Odile Cazenave, Professor of French.
While studying medicine and cultural anthropology, Patrick Autréaux published poetry and reviews of contemporary art. After practicing as an emergency-room psychiatrist for close to fifteen years, he has dedicated himself entirely to writing. The view of illness as an inner experience informs his first cycle of writing: “Dans la vallée des larmes” (Gallimard), “Soigner” (Gallimard), and “Se survivre” (Verdier). This cycle was followed by a narrative reflection on literature and medicine “La Voix écrite” (Verdier). His work was nominated for the French Prix Décembre and Prix Femina, and his standing poem “Le Grand Vivant” (Verdier) produced at the Avignon theater festival. His most recent book “La Sainte de la famille” (Verdier) opens a new autobiographical cycle and its second volume “L’Epoux” (Gallimard) is scheduled for publication in 2025.