The Enchanted Armchair

There’s an opening at the French Academy— the very chair that is considered the peak of recognition for the country’s best minds. But barely had talks about the new appointment begun when, under mysterious circumstances, three candidates are killed— and whispers about a curse spreading through Paris, hanging over this seat. Can the next chosen one outwit fate—or will the “chair of the immortal” remain vacant?

The French Academy was founded in 1625 as a private circle created with the involvement of Cardinal Richelieu, and over time it became an authoritative scientific institution tasked with preserving and developing the French language and literature. It has forty members; election is for life, so academicians are called “immortals.” After one of them dies, a successor is chosen, and the new academician must deliver an official ceremonial speech in memory of the predecessor.

Now, the fortyoth seat was vacant, and from many applicants, the most worthy must be named. However, after the deaths of three candidates, the number of willing contenders sharply drops—talks of the “enchanted seat” sound too insistent. Will someone manage to avoid death, or is this chair doomed to remain empty forever?

Translation by L. Efimov, 2025. AST Publishing House, 2025.