Jean‑François Colosimo, publisher and essayist, presents his book When China Wavers (Albin Michel, 2026). He explores how the myths shaping Western dreams of China are in fact the Chinese people’s nightmare, deciphers the positions of the United States, Russia, India, Japan and Europe toward China, and analyses the major realignment of the global landscape driven by ongoing wars and looming barbarities. The lecture offers critical geopolitical perspectives and historical insight.

In French.

Sir Antony Beevor, British historian of war and former British Army officer, discusses his book Rasputin and the Downfall of the Romanovs. Beevor examines how a barely literate peasant from Siberia could influence the fate of an empire, reflecting on Rasputin’s role in the collapse of the Romanov autocracy and the enduring power of myth. The lecture explores political fragility, personal influence on history, and the construction of historical narrative.

In English.

Marie Darrieussecq, who prefaced the new French edition and author of Être ici est une splendeur, Vie de Paula M. Becker, joins Alexandre Pateau, the translator of the correspondence, for a focused conversation on the letters exchanged between Rainer Maria Rilke and Paula Modersohn‑Becker (1900–1907). They examine the artistic dialogue revealed in the correspondence, themes of creativity, mutual influence and biographical insight. The session is moderated by Pascal Schouwey.

In French.