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Serpent's Tail publisher PETE AYRTON is honoured by the French Government
17 July 2008
Pete has been awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his contribution to French culture.
Since founding Serpent's Tail in 1986, Pete has shown an unswaying commitment to publishing fiction and non-fiction in translation, when many other publishers have cut back on their publishing of translations.
French and Francophone authors brought to an English audience by Serpent's Tail include Alain Mabanckou (African Psycho), Catherine Millet (The Sexual Life of Catherine M), Andrée Chedid (The Sixth Day), and Jean Hatzfeld (A Time for Machetes / Into the Quick of Life). Forthcoming titles include Virginie Despentes' King Kong Theory and Alain Mabanckou's second novel, Broken Glass, both due in spring 2009.
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Literature) is an Order of France, established on May 2, 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of l'Ordre National du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant contributions to the arts, literature, or the propagation of these fields.