Laurent Binet, Winner of the Booksellers' Award Translation Category, Releases New Novel 'Perspective' Today, June 29!

Laurent Binet, the French author who gained widespread recognition in Japan after winning the Booksellers' Award in the translation category for 'HHhH—Prague, 1942,' continues to captivate readers worldwide with his intellectually stimulating and compelling works. From 'The Seventh Function of Language,' featuring real-life philosophers such as Barthes, Foucault, Eco, Deleuze, and Guattari, to 'Civilizations,' which imagines an alternate history where the Inca Empire conquers Spain instead of being conquered by it, Binet consistently delivers novels that delight readers across the globe.

His latest translated work, 'Perspective,' translated by Kei Takahashi and published under the Overseas Literary Selections imprint (hardcover), is released today, June 29. Set in 16th-century Florence, Italy, this historical mystery centers on the real-life murder of a painter during the height of the Renaissance.

Laurent Binet / Translated by Kei Takahashi, 'Perspective' (Overseas Literary Selections)

[Synopsis] In Renaissance Florence, the Mannerist painter Jacopo da Pontormo is found murdered—beaten with a hammer and stabbed in the chest with a chisel—in front of the fresco he had been painting for over ten years at the Basilica of San Lorenzo. In his studio remains a scandalous painting of Venus and Cupid bearing the face of Maria, daughter of Cosimo de' Medici, the Duke of Florence. Who killed Pontormo? Was he the one who painted this indecent image? Cosimo entrusts the investigation to Giorgio Vasari, a painter, architect, and art historian he deeply trusts. Vasari writes to Michelangelo, who is working on St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, informing him of the crime and seeking his advice. Against the volatile backdrop of 16th-century Europe—a web of intrigue connecting Vasari and Michelangelo, Maria and her distant relative Catherine de' Medici, Queen of France, and Catherine and Piero Strozzi, French marshal and Cosimo's enemy—unfolds a gripping tale of conspiracy and romance. The story unfolds through 176 letters. The crime is narrated, investigated, and ultimately solved entirely through correspondence.

A masterpiece of epistolary historical mystery from the author of 'HHhH—Prague, 1942,' 'The Seventh Function of Language,' and 'Civilizations,' each of which has astonished readers in turn.

Cover Art: Bronzino, 'Portrait of Maria de' Medici,' Uffizi Gallery collection, and others / Design: Takayo Yanagawa

The defining feature of 'Perspective' is that the entire novel is composed of 176 letters, forming an epistolary mystery. The outline, progression, and ultimate truth of the incident gradually emerge through letters exchanged among real historical figures—an intricate narrative feat that only Laurent Binet could achieve. Enjoy this remarkable literary experience.

Publication Details

Perspective (Enkinhō)

Laurent Binet / Translated by Kei Takahashi

Format: Hardcover, B6 size Pages: 290 First Edition: June 26, 2026

ISBN: 978-4-488-01695-1 C Code: C0097

Cover Art: Bronzino, 'Portrait of Maria de' Medici,' Uffizi Gallery collection, and others

Design: Takayo Yanagawa

Author and Translator Profiles

Laurent Binet

Born in Paris, France, in 1972. Studied modern literature at the University of Paris and served his military duty as a French teacher in Slovakia. Later taught at Paris III and Paris VIII universities. Won the Prix Goncourt Best First Novel Award and the Prix du Livre de Poche Readers' Prize for 'HHhH—Prague, 1942' (which ranked first in Japan's Booksellers' Award Translation Fiction category and the Twitter Literature Award Overseas Category); won the Prix Décembre and the Fnac Novel Prize for 'The Seventh Function of Language'; and received the Grand Prize for the Novel from the Académie Française for 'Civilizations.' Binet is now a leading figure in contemporary French literature.

Kei Takahashi

Born in Hokkaido in 1953. Translator. Graduated from the Faculty of Letters, Waseda University. Translations include L. Binet's 'HHhH—Prague, 1942' and 'The Seventh Function of Language,' O. Guez's 'The Disappearance of Josef Mengele,' E. Louis's 'Farewell to Eddy,' J. Loevy's 'Beautiful Hortense,' P. Frénaud's 'The Editor and the Tablet,' P. Quignard's 'The Villa Amalia,' and T. Garcia's '7.'

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