La Chanson de Charles Quint is the story of two brothers with two very different approaches to love. The older brother is a well-known and successful author and a former advisor to the head of state; the younger brother is his polar opposite in many ways.

The relationship between them combines deep attachment and virulent jealousy. Nonetheless, they meet every first Tuesday of the month at their usual Russian hangout, where love or the women in their lives is one of the main subjects of conversation. The younger brother married his high school sweetheart; the elder goes from woman to woman, never able to settle down, always on a quest for a new adventure.

But one day this brother meets someone who he will stick with and loves profoundly. She is named Soleil, and she is the love of his life. But his joy will be short-lived: his new lover is diagnosed with cancer and eventually dies. Unable cope with her death, he goes on a metaphysical journey and tries anything he can to get in contact with her, including meeting with a medium and taking Cuban dance classes.

This is Erik Orsenna’s most intimate and personal book, and a beautiful testimony on love in all its forms.