Japanese Literature in France

The Japan Pavilion at the Paris Book Fair 2012.

Nobel laureate Ōe Kenzaburō used the occasion to make an impassioned speech against nuclear power that attracted a lot of attention.

Novelist Furukawa Hideo chats with a reader.

The delegation of invited authors was kept busy throughout the event. With her fluent French, Sekiguchi Ryōko was in especially high demand, attending more than 10 events over the course of the fair.

An exhibition of photographs of the Great East Japan Earthquake inside the Japan Pavilion, with piles of Japan-related books on display in the foreground.

French President François Hollande (presidential candidate at the time) was among those who visited the Japan Pavilion, where he spoke with Komatsu Ichirō, the Japanese ambassador to France, and his wife. On the right is Hollande’s partner, the journalist Valérie Trierweiler.

Hollande at the book fair when he was still a candidate for the French presidency.

Valérie Trierweiler with the Japanese ambassador’s wife.

Footballer Lilian Thuram, a former French international, signs autographs.

Patrick Poivre d’Arvor, former news presenter and popular author.

Actor Philippe Sfez, whose first novel “Je vous dis merde” was published in autumn 2011.

Ophélie Texier, author of the popular “Crocolou” series of picture books.