Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series: Édouard Louis

Édouard Louis comes to Shelton Auditorium at Butler University on Wednesday, March 31, 2027, at 7:30 PM. He's visiting as part of the Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series, and the talk is presented in partnership with Butler's Department of Sociology.

If you haven't come across him yet, Louis is a French author whose books have sold in huge numbers internationally. The Guardian described him as "one of the most important, politically vital and morally bracing writers of his generation," and that's a fair summary of where he sits. He's written seven novels so far: The End of Eddy (2014), History of Violence (2016), Who Killed My Father (2018), Change (2021), A Woman's Battles and Transformations (2022), Monique Escapes (2024), and Que faire de la littérature? Méditations et Manifeste (2025). His latest, Collapse, is due out in June 2026, and he's also editing a collective volume on the social scientist Pierre Bourdieu. His work has appeared in the New York Times, The Guardian, and Freeman's, and his books are translated into more than 30 languages and adapted for film and theater.

Louis doesn't just stick to the page, either. He's a close collaborator of stage directors Stanislas Nordey, Thomas Ostermeier, and Milo Rau, and he co-authored the plays Au cœur de la violence and The Interrogation. That theatrical side of his work helps explain why he's such a natural fit for a live conversation. He lives and works in Paris, so this is a rare chance to hear him in person here in Indianapolis.

It's a free event and open to the public, with no ticket required. The talk starts at 7:30 PM at Shelton Auditorium on the Butler campus.