José Frèches (born 25 June 1950, in

Dax, Landes Dax (; oc, Dacs; eu, Akize) is a Communes of France, commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France, Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Landes (department), Landes Departments of France, department. It is known as a spa destina ...

) is a French

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

ist with novels set in China. His first trilogy ''The Jade Disk'' is a story, set during the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

in disunited China. It tells the story of the character of the rich merchant and eventual prime-minister

Lü Buwei Lü Buwei (291–235 BCE) was a Chinese merchant and politician of the Qin state during the Warring States period. Originally an influential merchant from the Wei () state, Lü Buwei met and befriended King Zhuangxiang of Qin, who was then a m ...

- real father of the first emperor of China

Qin Shi Huang Qin Shi Huang (, ; 259–210 BC) was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China. Rather than maintain the title of "king" ( ''wáng'') borne by the previous Shang and Zhou rulers, he ruled as the First Emperor ( ...

. It portrays the struggles between the other kingdoms and Kingdom of Qin, destined to unite China. His second trilogy ''The Empress of Silk'' is set in Medieval China during the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

. It depicts the story of Emperor Gaozong, the third emperor of Tang and his prominent and ambitious wife

Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (17 February 624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was the ''de facto'' ruler of the Tang dynasty from 665 to 705, ruling first through others and then (from 690) in her own right. From 665 to 690, she was first empres ...

, who, after his death, virtually became the ruler of the country and the only ruling empress in the

history of China The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the '' Book of Documents'' (early chapte ...

. His latest series ''The Empire of Tears'' is set in mid-19th Century China, at the time of the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire and the French Emp ...

s, when the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

is struggling and slowly decaying.

Bibliography

The Empress of Silk (''L'impératrice de la soie'')

#The Roof of the World (''Le toit du monde'') #The Eyes of Buddha (''Les yeux de Bouddha'') #The Usurping One (''L'usurpatrice'')

The Jade Disc (''Le disque de jade'')

#Celestial Horses (''Les chevaux célestes'') #Golden Fish (''Poisson d’or'') #Immortal Islands (''Les îles immortelles'')

The Empire of Tears (''L'empire des larmes'')

#Opium Wars (''La guerre de l'opium'') #The Sack of the Summer Castle ('' Le sac du Palais d'Été'')

Novels

*Art & co (''art & cie'') *Me, Buddha (''Moi, Bouddha'') *Calling Center (''Le centre d'appel'') *Once upon a time in China (''Il était une fois la Chine'')

Non-fiction

* ''

Toulouse-Lautrec Comte Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901) was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist and illustrator whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of Paris in the la ...

: Les lumières de la nuit'', collab. with Claire Frèches, collection «

Découvertes Gallimard (, ; in United Kingdom: ''New Horizons'', in United States: ''Abrams Discoveries'') is an editorial collection of illustrated monographic books published by the Éditions Gallimard in pocket format. The books are concise introductions to pa ...

» (nº 132), série Arts. Paris:

Éditions Gallimard Éditions Gallimard (), formerly Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française (1911–1919) and Librairie Gallimard (1919–1961), is one of the leading French book publishers. In 2003 it and its subsidiaries published 1,418 titles. Founded by Ga ...

, 1991, new edition in 2019 ** ''Toulouse-Lautrec: Painter of the Night'', '

New Horizons ''New Horizons'' is an Interplanetary spaceflight, interplanetary space probe that was launched as a part of NASA's New Frontiers program. Engineered by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the Southwest Research ...

' series. London:

Thames & Hudson Thames & Hudson (sometimes T&H for brevity) is a publisher of illustrated books in all visually creative categories: art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and the performing arts. It also publishes books on archaeology, history, ...

, 1994 ** ''Toulouse-Lautrec: Scenes of the Night'', "

Abrams Discoveries Abrams may refer to: * Abrams (surname), a list of notable people with the surname * '' Abrams v. United States'', 250 U.S. 616 (1919), U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding free speech during times of war * M1 Abrams, main battle tank * Abrams, Wi ...

" series. New York:

Harry N. Abrams Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher La Martinière Groupe. Run by President and CEO Michael ...

, 1994 * ''Le Caravage : Peintre et assassin'', collection « Découvertes Gallimard » (nº 254), série Arts. Paris: Éditions Gallimard, 1995, new edition in 2012

References

External links

Official site of José FrèchesInterview for France 5
{{DEFAULTSORT:Freches, Jose 1950 births Writers of historical fiction set in antiquity Living people People from Dax, Landes 20th-century French novelists 21st-century French novelists French historical novelists École nationale d'administration alumni French male novelists 20th-century French male writers 21st-century French male writers