Join us at Le livre sur les quais for a special event featuring a literary lunch and cocktail reception on Sunday 22 November, with the exceptional Sophie Marceau, who will do us the honour of discussing her latest novel, *Warszawa* (published by Seghers). The discussion will be moderated by journalist Karine Weinberger.

In *Warszawa*, a purely autobiographical account that borrows the form of fiction and poetry, Sophie Marceau addresses Andrzej Żuławski, the man with whom she shared seventeen years of her life, and reflects on their love. She was eighteen when she met him in 1984; he was twenty-five years her senior. She was an actress on the rise; he was a critically acclaimed Polish director. She went on to star in five of his films. It was he who enabled her – then a young star under pressure from the system – to stand up to those who sought to control her image, and even her private life. By his side, she found her independence, discovered passion and intellectual exchange; she also discovered Warsaw, at a time when communism still weighed heavily on everyday life and everyone’s minds. Warsaw offered her a welcome escape, another world, a culture, a language… Over the years, despite the birth of a child and their collaborative work, their relationship descends into domination, obsession and control. They must break free… Will the void left by this separation ever be filled?

In telling this story of love and cinema, of fulfilment and exile, Sophie Marceau also explores their parallel yet divergent life paths – childhood, family, careers… in 1970s and 1980s France, for her, or post-war Poland, for him. Taking a free-spirited view of everything, she delves into her memories, recounts both the trials and the moments of grace, and chooses to show without ever seeking to prove a point.

A French actress who rose to fame at the age of 14 with the film *La Boum*, Sophie Marceau has starred in countless films. A leading figure in French cinema, she also enjoys an international career. She is, in addition, a director and screenwriter. In October 2026, she will publish *Warszawa*, her second book with Seghers, following *La Souterraine* (2023) and *Menteuse* (Stock, 1996).

Programme: 

• 10.00: welcome
• 10.30–11.30: meet Sophie Marceau in the Sandoz Room, followed by a book-signing session
• 11.30 am – 12.30 pm: lunch cocktail reception in the Rotonde room

CHF 80 per person
Payment cannot be made on the day; please book your place online.