An extract from A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre, translated by Mark Hutchinson
The story of an intense friendship between the narrator and his close childhood friend, Fanny, who suffers from profound psychological disorders
Mark Hutchinson
Mark Hutchinson was born in London and lives in Paris
Among his many translations from the French are René Char’s Hypnos: Notes from the French Resistance and The Inventors and Other Poems, and Emmanuel Hocquard’s The Library at Trieste and The Gardens of Sallust. His work has appeared in Harper’s Magazine, The Paris Review, The Times Literary Supplement and elsewhere. His translation of René Char‘s The Inventors was one of The Independent’s Best Poetry Books of 2015, and his translation of Anne Serre’s The Governesses was shortlisted for the 2020 Scott Moncrieff prize.
His translation of A Leopard-Skin Hat by Anne Serre was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025.
A deeply romantic yet platonic love story between the narrator and his complicated childhood friend
— The 2025 judges on A Leopard-Skin Hat
All nominated books
The story of an intense friendship between the narrator and his close childhood friend, Fanny, who suffers from profound psychological disorders
By Anne Serre
Translated by Mark Hutchinson
