Jean-Claude Perrier was born in Paris, in 1957, under the Aquarius sign. He loves literature, reading, and writing. He is a journalist and also the author of several books: novels, biographies, essays, and travel logs. Jean-Claude Perrier discovered India in 1981, which was a revelation to him. In love with the culture, music, and people of India, he’s the author of several books: André Malraux and the Temptation of India, Travels in French India, Barbarians in India, translated into English, Hindi, and Bangla in India. In 2010, He received the prestigious French Academy Prize for an essay, The mysteries of Saint-Exupery, that is translated into Italian, German, Russian, and Slovenian.
Book in focus
Like Barbarians in India
The book is a heartfelt tribute to India and to four French writers—Pierre Loti, Henri Michaux, André Malraux and André Gide—who felt a common attraction to this country of ‘ancient civilization’. The author discusses these writers and their interaction with India, as well as his love for the country.
Each chapter in the book details the impact or influence that India had on these French writers individually. Pierre Loti, whose original name was Julien Viaud, discovered India in 1931 and wrote India (without the English), which describes India as if it had not been colonized. About half of Henri Michaux’s Barbarian in Asia is devoted to India. André Malraux knew Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi and had read Tagore and the Indian sacred texts. André Gide also knew Nehru and had translated Tagore and Kabir into French.
The author has traveled and lived in India and was a friend of the sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. In this work he comments on India of the past and present and shares his deep love of this land, its people and culture.
Translations:
- Like Barbarians in India published in English by Niyogi Books
- André Malraux and the Temptation of India published in English by Sampark
- André Malraux and the Temptation of India published in Hindi by IGNCA
Programme:
Book
Like Barbarians in India
When
23 Feb – 4 Mar 2023
Where
New Delhi World Book Fair, Pragati Maidan, Delhi