Leila Slimani: I’ll Take the Fire
Featured Book
I'll Take the Fire
Q: If your house was burning down, what would you take with you? A: I’d take the fire. –Jean Cocteau Mia Daoud yearns to be free. Growing up in socially conservative Morocco, her imagination fired by her banker father’s charisma and political idealism, her doctor mother’s feminist example and social conscience, and the boundless possibilities suggested by her favorite authors, she learns to go after what she wants, even if it means jumping through fire to get it. Determined to be true to her sexuality and to differentiate herself from her adoring younger sister, she sets out in search of her place in the world, from Casablanca to Paris to London, and against the backdrop of era-defining events like the fall of the Berlin Wall and 9/11, guided by a preternatural sense of justice and an unerring instinct for what makes her feel most alive. Combining vigorous poetry and unflinching bravery, Leila Slimani’s autobiographical novel is a rousing ode to living a life of purpose and consequence.
This book will be available for purchase at the event.
About This Event
Leïla Slimani is a bestselling author, the first Moroccan woman to win France’s most prestigious literary prize, the Prix Goncourt, French President Macron's former personal representative for the promotion of the French language and culture, and chair of the jury for the 2023 International Booker Prize. She joins us to discuss her newest novel, I’ll Take the Fire, the final book in her trilogy based on her family’s roots in revolutionary Morocco. In it, she weaves the story of a young Arab woman on a quest for sexual and political freedom against the backdrop of era defining events like the fall of the Berlin Wall and 9/11.
Featured Author
Leila Slimani
Leila Slimani is the bestselling author of The Perfect Nanny, one of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of 2018, for which she became the first Moroccan woman to win France’s most prestigious literary prize, the Goncourt. Her other books include Adèle, Sex and Lies, and the #1 international bestsellers In the Country of Others and Watch Us Dance, which are the first and second parts of a trilogy of novels based on her family’s roots in revolutionary Morocco. Slimani is French president Emmanuel Macron’s former personal representative for the promotion of the French language and culture, and is the chair of the jury for the 2023 International Booker Prize. She was ranked #2 on Vanity Fair France’s annual list of the Fifty Most Influential French People in the World. Born in Rabat, Morocco, in 1981, she divides her time between France and Portugal.
In Conversation With
Alison Cuddy
Alison Cuddy is a Chicago-based writer, editor, and cultural producer. Her features and commentaries exploring art, architecture, and the natural world have been published in numerous Chicago platforms (Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, New City). She has produced audio pieces for NPR, the BBC, and Monocle Radio and hosted and created several podcast series, including Library for the People, exploring the 150th anniversary of the Chicago Public Library. Cuddy has developed and launched creative projects for such clients as the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs, Illinois Humanities, Walder Foundation, and Hyde Park Jazz Festival. For 12 years she was a reporter and host at WBEZ, Chicago’s NPR affiliate and is the former Artistic Director of Chicago Humanities. In partnership with many of Chicago’s cultural and civic institutions, Cuddy had led high level conversations with a wide range of writers and newsmakers, including Amy Tan, Margaret Atwood, Rachel Maddow, Al Gore, and Annie Liebowitz. In 2019 she was appointed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to co-chair the City of Chicago’s Cultural Advisory Council. She is a previous board member of the Chicago Reader and currently serves on the board of the Arts Club of Chicago.
About the Venue
Northwestern University - Lutkin Hall
Presented by Chicago Humanities
Presented with Seminary Co-Op Bookstore
700 University Pl
Evanston, IL 60208
More at Seminary Co-Op Bookstore
A Conversation with Nikita Gill!
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Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor on End Times Fascism
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Emily St. John Mandel - Exit Party
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