A bookshop, a conversation and the meaning of life

When French writer Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt had just graduated from university with a doctorate in philosophy and started teaching the subject 41 years ago, the 25-year-old had the idea to write a novel that spans the entirety of human history.

Schmitt, who has won multiple awards, including the Goncourt Prize for short stories, has now published the fifth book out of eight in his The Passage of Time series. The series features a man named Noam, who was struck by a fireball during a thunderstorm at the age of 25, granting him eternal youth. From the Neolithic era to the present day, he journeys through the centuries seeking the meaning of life, and the pivotal events that have shaped the world today.

But more importantly for local fans of the series, a Chinese translation of the second book, La Porte du Ciel (Heaven's Gate), has been published by Citic Press. Recently, Schmitt came to China for the Choix Goncourt de la Chine 2025 (Goncourt Selection of China 2025) and toured cities to meet readers.