Seven years after the publication of her international bestseller, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery discusses her new novel, The Life of Elves, a lyrical novel about the quest for enchantment in a world that seems to have forgotten such a thing ever existed, with Europa Editions Editor in Chief Michael Reynolds.

With its cast of unforgettable characters, each fighting to preserve a sense of enchantment, The Life of Elves is a poetic meditation on art, nature, dreams, and the role of the imagination. Maria lives in a remote village in Burgundy, where she learns that she has a gift for communicating with nature. Hundreds of miles away in Italy, Clara discovers that she possesses a stunning musical genius and is sent from the countryside to Rome to develop her preternatural abilities. Barbery’s The Life of Elves tells the story of two children whose extraordinary talents will bring them into contact with magical worlds and malevolent forces. If, against all odds, they can be brought together, their meeting may shape the course of history.

In English. Free and open to the public. No RSVP necessary.

The Life of Elves, a novel by Muriel Barbery, translated from the French by Alison Anderson, (Europa Editions)

Muriel Barbery is the author of the international bestseller, The Elegance of the Hedgehog (2007), and Gourmet Rhapsody (2009).

Michael Reynolds is the Editor in Chief of the publishing house Europa Editions.