For the past 6 years, the France Chicago Center at the University of Chicago has collaborated with the Press to help bring seminal works of French literature and thought to an English-speaking public. Based on this success, we are excited to announce a new partnership called the “France Chicago Collection,” which will be a series of at least five books to be published over the next 5 years. 

While this collection is new, the Press’s commitment to French scholarship—as well as their support of University of Chicago faculty toward this endeavor—dates back to the 1970s. This history, beginning with translations of Jacques Derrida and works from the Annales historians, is continued through work done by current University of Chicago faculty. With the scholarship of Françoise Meltzer, who championed the work of Jean Starobinski, Nicholas Abraham, Maria Torok, and others, and Arnold Davidson’s more recent establishment of a series of Michel Foucault translations, the Press has become a hub for French primary source translations. In addition, works by Jean-Luc Marion and the late Paul Ricoeur published by the University of Chicago Press have become internationally acclaimed texts in themselves.

Reflecting on this rich tradition of French thought, Press Editorial Director Alan G. Thomas explains the impetus behind the new collection: “It was quite natural for us to turn to the France Chicago Center as a collaborator, and we have been delighted to have its support in extending this tradition of publishing. The Center shares our interest in making both historically important French works available in English, as well as examples of contemporary French scholarship that fit the Press’s areas of focus.”

The France Chicago Center is a University of Chicago-based interdisciplinary organization that facilitates, promotes, and fosters stronger ties between University of Chicago students and researchers and their colleagues in France, while increasing awareness within the University of Chicago community of French culture, art, and thought.

This post is excerpted from the FCC’s annual report. For more information, please visit their website.