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SoA in Person | French Week 2025 | Tour of The Institut français du Royaume-Uni
29 January @ 11:00 - 11:45 GMT
Free – £19.50
The Institut français building, The Queensberry Place, is on the site of a house occupied during the Commune of 1870/71 by Prince Murat, the son of Napoleon’s Marshal and ex-King of Naples. It was designed by Patrice Bonnet, architect in chief to the French government and ‘architect conservateur’ of the Palace of Versailles. Defiantly French (but with hints of Dutch) with its basket-weave ceramic columns and screamingly red brick and tile work, the design is a fusion of expressionism and art deco like nothing else in London (and certainly not in South Kensington).
The new Médiathèque (multimedia library) which was inaugurated in 1996 by the President of the French Republic, Jacques Chirac, was redesigned for the 21st century by Jean-François Darin while in keeping with the classified part of the building, giving it and its activities a new lease of life.
This 45 minute (approx.) tour will enable visitors to discover the Institut’s history and gorgeous ArtDeco architecture, and the collections of the Médiathèque.
This event is free for SoA Members and £19.50 for Non-Members.
French Week 2025
From 27 – 31 January 2025, we are running a week of events to mark the 60th anniversary of the Scott Moncrieff Prize for translations of books from French into English. This series of events kicks off our 2025 events programme.
Scott Moncrieff, is an annual £2,000 literary prize for French to English translation, awarded to one or more translators every year for a full-length work. Following the success of our Japan Week to celebrate our Translation Prizes, this year we shine a spotlight on French.
The week includes:
- 28 Jan | Industry Insider – 60 Years of the Scott Moncrieff: Celebrating Francophone African Writing
- 29 Jan | SoA in Person: Tour of The Institut français du Royaume-Uni (French Institute of the United Kingdom)
- 30 Jan | Afternoon Tea with Vineet Lal
- 14 Feb | Feel Good Friday – Draw along with Sandrine Kao
Meeting Point
Entrance of the Institut français du Royaume-Uni, 17 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2DT
Programme
- 11am – Tour starts
- 11.45am – Tour ends
The Line-up
Guillaume Périssol – Institut français
Founded in 1910, the Institut français had a peripatetic existence before finding a permanent home in 1939 when the Queensberry Place building was inaugurated by the President of the French Republic, Albert Lebrun. Guillaume Périssol is head librarian and holds a Doctorate in History from Sorbonne University.
Website: https://www.institut-francais.org.uk
Accessibility
- Unfortunately, the lift operating for step-free access from the ground floor (foyer/reception) to the Library is currently out of order and is under repair.
- If you require BSL interpretation to take part in this event, please email events@societyofauthors.org.
- If you have any other accessibility needs, please email events@societyofauthors.org
Feeling unwell?
We recommend the following:
- Staying home if you’re feeling unwell or have flu-like symptoms
- Washing your hands when coming in from the outdoors and / or before touching your face
- Applying alcohol hand sanitiser (we will have these on site)
- We advise attendees to wear a face mask if they feel comfortable doing so
Translation Prizes 2024 – Online Fundraising Bookshop
Browse our virtual Bookshop.org store, featuring titles shortlisted for this year’s Translation Prizes. When you make a purchase using our affiliate links, a percentage will go to the Drusilla Harvey Access Fund, giving authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats.
Booking
Book your place using the booking from below. Places are limited.
Please read our event booking Terms and Conditions https://www2.societyofauthors.org/legal-privacy/event-terms/
Tickets
Free – SoA Members
£19.50 – Non-Members