Reposted for our friends in the Program in Latin American Studies (PLAS)
Philippe Lançon, a journalist specializing in Cuba and Latin America who is on staff at Libération, was gravely injured last week during the terrorist attack at Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Philippe was attending an editorial team meeting when the two gunmen broke into the room and opened fire. He is now in intensive care at a Paris hospital, where he is listed in critical but stable condition.
Philippe has been involved with PLAS since 2012. He has been a guest speaker at some of our courses, attended our events, and he was recently selected as a visiting fellow for next year. His plan was to spend the fall semester in Princeton, teaching a course on “Writers and Dictators in Latin America” and researching a new book on Cuba.
Philippe has reported extensively on Latin American culture and literature. He is one of the most serious critics of Latin American literature in Paris and he has published extensive interviews with many writers, including Jorge Edwards and Mario Vargas Llosa.
Recently, Philippe had been covering the developments in Cuba. His last published article is an interview with visual artist Tania Bruguera after she was detained in Havana. You can read his piece here:
As members of the Princeton community we should do everything we can to show our support for Philippe during these difficult moments. If you want to write him a note, a postcard, or a letter, please drop it off at the PLAS office and we will send it to him by express mail. If you prefer to use e-mail, you can address it to plas@princeton.edu; we will print it out and include it in the package.
I will post more news as soon as I can speak to Philippe, after he leaves the intensive care unit.
Written by Rubén Gallo