Fleur Pierets – författare

2020 Rainbow Book List SelectionInspired by a true story, Love Around the World is the beautiful and heartwarming adventure of two women’s journey to marry each other in every country where same-sex marriage is legal. "Moving and inspiring." - Kirkus ReviewsFleur and Julian are two women very much in love. When they decide to get married, however, they discover that in most countries, a man cannot marry a man and a woman cannot marry a woman. In fact, out of 195 countries in the world, they can only marry in 26 of them. Fleur and Julian want to make other people aware of that.They think that love is love—not only between a man and a woman! So Fleur goes down on one knee and asks the love of her life, “Would you like to marry me in all 26 countries?” Julian answers, “Yes!”Thus begins an incredible trip around the world for our two heroes, Fleur and Julian, who travel to each nation that celebrates marriage equality. In Love Around the World, Fleur and Julian get married in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United States, where they learn about the customs and traditions of each place and make special memories that will last forever.

The worldwide adventure continues as Fleur and Julian celebrate marriage in 15 more countries that allow same-sex unions, completing the journey they started in Love Around the World (2020 Rainbow Book List).Fleur Pierets and Julian P. Boom are two women in love. They live together, eat together, sleep together, and work together. When Fleur asks Julian to marry her, Julian says “Yes!” But in most countries, a man cannot marry a man and a woman cannot marry a woman. There are 195 countries in the world, but they can only get married in 28 of them. They think this is unfair! So they decide to get married in all 28 countries that allow same-sex marriage. Inspired by a true story, Love Around the World, was the first in this two-volume children’s book series about Julian and Fleur’s adventures. In Love Is Love: The Journey Continues, they pick up where they left off, exploring the marriage traditions of fourteen countries: Argentina, Austria, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Germany, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

Belgian artist Fleur Pierets wanted to marry her partner Julian in all countries where two women are allowed to marry. The aim was to raise awareness of equal marriage rights in a positive way. But the 'world tour of love' was interrupted: after her fourth marriage, in Paris, Julian was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour. She died two months later. Pierets had only one thing left to do: write. Fleur Pierets and Julian P. Boom worked as an artist duo under the name JF. Pierets and created, among other things, the magazine Et Alors? On 20 September 2017, they launched their performance Project 22 in New York. Julian died on 22 January 2018. This book is divided into three sections: Before, During and After. The first part tells the story of how Julian and Fleur Pierets met, delves into their careers before they fell in love and gives context to their intense relationship and collaboration. The second part is literally the heart of the memoir. It's a celebration of love, freedom, progress and, above all, the power of their commitment. It is about their magazine Et Alors? and their famous Project 22: to get married in every country where same-sex marriage was legal. They got married in New York, Paris, Amsterdam and Antwerp, while raising awareness of same-sex relationships. The third and final part is about Julian's illness and eventual death. Fleur writes about her grief and how she coped with the loss of her soulmate. The author describes her life with Julian with clarity and insight, making it easy for the reader to empathise with her feelings. Although this is not a sad book, tears are guaranteed. There's also lightness, hope and, above all, the realisation that true love does exist. Her love for Julian is so palpable in every sentence that it's like a force of nature. Julian explores themes of love, commitment, activism, loss and grief. It is so tactile, you can feel its energy. It's a testament to the power of love in the face of illness and hatred. Pieret's writing is deceptively simple, very essay-like, yet full of heart. It is a lesbian version of Joan Didion's Year of Magical Thinking. Translated from Flemish by Elizabeth Kahn.