Thomas Sancton, author of The Bettencourt Affair: The World’s Richest Woman and the Scandal That Rocked Paris, will discuss the book at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 28, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.
Heiress to the nearly $40 billion dollar L’Oréal fortune, Liliane Bettencourt was the world’s richest woman and the 14th wealthiest person. At 94, she was embroiled in what has been called the Bettencourt Affair, a family drama that quickly became a massive scandal, uncovering L’Oréal’s shadowy corporate history and buried World War II secrets. From the Right Bank mansions to the Left Bank artist havens; and from the Bettencourts’ servant quarters to the office of President Nicolas Sarkozy, all of Paris was shaken by the blockbuster case, the shocking reversals, and the surprising final victim.
It all began when Liliane met François-Marie Banier, an artist and photographer who was, in his youth, the toast of Paris and a protégé of Salvador Dalí. Over the next two decades, Banier was given hundreds of millions of dollars in gifts, cash, and insurance policies by Liliane. What, exactly, was their relationship? It wasn’t clear, least of all to Liliane’s daughter and only child, Françoise, who became suspicious of Banier’s motives and filed a lawsuit against him. Banier had a far different story to tell.
Tom Sancton was a longtime Paris bureau chief for Time magazine, where he wrote more than 50 cover stories. He first broke the Bettencourt affair for many American readers with his feature piece in Vanity Fair in 2010. Sancton coauthored the New York Times bestseller Death of a Princess, a probing investigation of the murky circumstances behind Princess Diana’s death. He has also written for Fortune, Reader’s Digest, Newsweek, and other magazines. A Rhodes Scholar who studied at Harvard and Oxford, he is currently a research professor at Tulane University, where he spends part of the year. In 2014, the French government named Sancton a Chevalier (knight) in the Order of Arts and Letters.
Louisiana Book News is written by award-winning author Chere Dastugue Coen, who writes Louisiana romances and mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Her first book in each series is FREE to download as an ebook, including "Emilie," book one of The Cajun Series, "Ticket to Paradise," book one of The Cajun Embassy series and "A Ghost of a Chance," the first Viola Valentine mystery.
It all began when Liliane met François-Marie Banier, an artist and photographer who was, in his youth, the toast of Paris and a protégé of Salvador Dalí. Over the next two decades, Banier was given hundreds of millions of dollars in gifts, cash, and insurance policies by Liliane. What, exactly, was their relationship? It wasn’t clear, least of all to Liliane’s daughter and only child, Françoise, who became suspicious of Banier’s motives and filed a lawsuit against him. Banier had a far different story to tell.
Tom Sancton was a longtime Paris bureau chief for Time magazine, where he wrote more than 50 cover stories. He first broke the Bettencourt affair for many American readers with his feature piece in Vanity Fair in 2010. Sancton coauthored the New York Times bestseller Death of a Princess, a probing investigation of the murky circumstances behind Princess Diana’s death. He has also written for Fortune, Reader’s Digest, Newsweek, and other magazines. A Rhodes Scholar who studied at Harvard and Oxford, he is currently a research professor at Tulane University, where he spends part of the year. In 2014, the French government named Sancton a Chevalier (knight) in the Order of Arts and Letters.
Louisiana Book News is written by award-winning author Chere Dastugue Coen, who writes Louisiana romances and mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Her first book in each series is FREE to download as an ebook, including "Emilie," book one of The Cajun Series, "Ticket to Paradise," book one of The Cajun Embassy series and "A Ghost of a Chance," the first Viola Valentine mystery.
No comments:
Post a Comment