October 13, 2011 — French author, playwright, publisher and philosopher Jean-Christophe Bailly will visit the University of Virginia on Oct. 21 to talk about his new book "The Animal Side."

The lecture, sponsored by the Department of French Language and Literature in the College of Arts & Sciences, will be at 3:30 p.m. in Nau Hall, room 211. Bailly's talk, to be given in French, is free and open to the public.

Bailly is touring the U.S. in conjunction with the English translation of his work as part of the French government's "authors on tour" series.

Part philosophical and part poetic, the book focuses on mankind's shared existence with animals and the importance of animals for human thought.

"It's a topic of great interest right now in philosophy and literature studies and scholarship," said Claire Lyu, U.Va. associate professor and director of graduate studies in the French department. She said the link between humans and animals was the focus of 20th/21st Century French and Francophone International Colloquium in the spring and "reflects the growing interest in environmental issues and human life."

French department chair Deborah McGrady said, "Currently there is a fascination across the disciplines on this subject." She added that a number of other departments across Grounds have invited speakers to address the topic.

Lyu said Bailly's lecture will appeal to students across disciplines, particularly those from philosophy, English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese and religious studies.

Bailly teaches at the National School of Nature and the Landscape in Blois, France, where he has edited The Journal of the School of Blois since 2003. He has written numerous books as well as essays and criticism about art, poetry and theater. His other book in English is "Duchamp (Masters of Modern Art)."

For information, contact Sage Grubbs at 434-924-7158 or cmb7y@virginia.edu.