What a night! The Library was so proud to welcome Zadie Smith to the 2021 Gala last Thursday at Le Pré Catelan. It was a delight to see the community reunite (in-person!) after so long, and the joy was palpable. A million thanks to all the Library’s friends and supporters who attended.

Left to right: Zadie Smith, Audrey Chapuis, Declan McCavana

Photo by Krystal Kenney.

Melvis the Library Dog is ready to scan Pass Sanitaires! Starting on Tuesday 31 August, all adults 18+ must have a Pass to enter the Library, including those accompanying children.

On 30 September, all visitors ages 12+ must show a Pass Sanitaire.

For details, please visit the COVID-19 information page. We thank you for your cooperation.

Five titles have been selected as finalists for the 2021 American Library in Paris Book Award. They include a novel about a Surrealist artist (Leonora in the Morning Light by Michaela Carter), an epistolary elegy (Letters to Camondo by Edmund de Waal), a biography of an underrecognized figure (Black Spartacus by Sudhir Hazareesingh), a dreamlike story of a racehorse in Paris (Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley), and a multigenerational micro-history (An Infinite History by Emma Rothschild).

The choice of the winning title now is in the hands of an independent jury, and the winner will be announced at a ceremony in early 2022. For information about becoming a patron of the Book Award ceremony or questions about the prize: Visit our Book Award page or email bookaward@americanlibraryinparis.org.

All eighty-three of the submissions for the 2021 Book Award are in the Library’s circulating collection and are available for checkout by members.