Librarian Laurent Ferri knighted by French government


Richard L. Katz
Laurent Ferri

His nephew asked if he was Lancelot. His American friends asked if they needed to start calling him ‘Sir.’

The answer to both questions was no, but Laurent Ferri, curator of pre-1800 collections at the Cornell University Library Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections and co-director of Cornell’s French Studies Program, has been named a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et Lettres – a kind of knighthood for the arts.

The honor, bestowed by the French minister of culture on up to 200 artists and intellectuals a year, puts Ferri in distinguished company including Vaclav Havel, Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep, T.S. Eliot, Jorge Luis Borges and Bob Dylan.

“I’m very flattered,” said Ferri, who will receive his medal at a ceremony at the French consulate in New York City this June. “It’s nice because it shows that people in France know about Cornell, and recognize the importance of Cornell in higher education and culture.”

The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres was established by France in 1957 to recognize significant contributions to the arts and literature.

Other Cornellians who have received this honor include Professor Emerita Alice Colby-Hall and Professor Emeritus Richard Klein, both of the Department of Romance Studies.

Ferri said he views part of the importance of his work as contributing to culture, and helping others recognize its significance.

“There’s a cultural dimension to everything we do, even when we’re not aware of it,” he said.

Melanie Lefkowitz