Benjamin Hoffmann, College of Arts and Sciences Designated Professor of French and Francophone Literature and Director of the Center of Excellence in the Department of French and Italian, was named a Chevalier in the Ordre des Palmes Académiques (“Knight of the Order of Academic Palms”), a French national order bestowed on distinguished academics and teachers and for valuable service to universities, education and science.
Hoffmann was recognized for his eminent contribution to promoting French language and culture in the United States. He is the founding director of the French Center of Excellence at Ohio State, which promotes French-American relations and the dissemination of French and Francophone culture in the U.S. Hoffmann also leads the Jules Verne Writing Residency, a creative writing residency that welcomes French-speaking novelists to Columbus, as well as French Press, the center’s literary channel available online, where he conducts regular interviews with novelists and thinkers who make headlines in France. A specialist in the French Enlightenment, Hoffmann is also a prolific creative writer whose work has been published by Éditions Gallimard and Éditions de Minuit. He has authored thirteen books to date—including monographs, novels, collective volumes, and critical editions—published in France, the US, the UK, and Italy. His works include Posthumous America, Père et fils, The Paradoxes of Posterity, Sentinel Island, Les Minuscules, an edition of Montesquieu’s The Spirit of Laws, and, most recently, Je suis Murakami.
“It is an immense privilege to be recognized by the French government and to be awarded the Palmes Académiques,” Hoffmann said.
“I am honored to have contributed to the promotion of French culture in the U.S. and to have had the opportunity to establish a Center of Excellence on the campus of The Ohio State University. Thanks to our center, numerous scholars and writers have visited Ohio State, enriching the intellectual life of our academic community.
I would like to dedicate this honor to the memory of my father, Patrick Hoffmann, who once told me—mysteriously, at a time when, living in France, neither he nor I spoke English or had ever traveled to America—that one day, I would become a professor in the United States. I am immensely indebted to him and to my mother, Brigitte Hoffmann, for all the love they gave me and for all the strength I drew from their love.
I also wish to thank my wife, Dr. Sarah MacEwan, a faculty member at Ohio State, and our beautiful son, Victor James, for the constant joy they bring to my life. Finally, I would like to thank my friends and colleagues whose presence made this event even more special and express my sincere gratitude to Yannick Tagand for bestowing this decoration upon me.”
Consul General of France in Chicago Yannick Tagand presented the award to Hoffmann at a celebration at Ohio State’s Faculty Club on April 1.
Department of French and Italian faculty members Jonathan Combs-Schilling, Jonathan Mullins, Benjamin Hoffman, Jenniger Willging, Sarah-Grace Heller, and Dana Renga.
Article written by Christina Dierkes and originally published by the College of Arts and Sciences on April 9, 2025.