Gisele Pelicot To Publish Memoir "A Hymn To Life" In 2026

Gisele Pelicot, a feminist icon for her outspoken stance during her ex-husband's trial for letting strangers rape her while drugged, will release her memoirs next year, a publisher said Thursday.

"A Hymn to Life" will be published in 20 languages in January 2026, British publisher the Bodley Head, which is owned by the Penguin group, said in a statement.

"I am immensely grateful for the extraordinary support I have received since the beginning of the trial. I now want to tell my story in my own words," it quoted Ms Pelicot as saying.

"Through this book, I hope to convey a message of strength and courage to all those who are subjected to difficult ordeals. May they never feel shame. And in time, may they even learn to savour life again and find peace."

Ms Pelicot, 72, won international acclaim last year for her courage during the trial of her former husband for orchestrating her mass rape while they were married.

She had insisted that the trial be held in public and waived her right to anonymity.

A court in southern France in December sentenced Dominique Pelicot, 72, to 20 years for drugging and raping her and inviting dozens of men to do the same for almost a decade.

His 50 co-defendants were also found guilty and handed various sentences of between three and 15 years.

Their daughter, Caroline Darian, published her own memoirs, "I'll Never Call Him Dad Again", in December and plans to publish a book about victims of sexual abuse.

She has filed a sex abuse case against her father, who denies abusing her.

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