Who Killed Roland BarthesThe Seventh Function of Language

In February 1980, acclaimed French theorist Roland Barthes was struck by a laundry van on a Paris street. Was it a mere accident, or a cold-blooded assassination? Laurent Binet transforms this real event into an extraordinarily clever, satirical detective novel. Investigator Bayard and a young semiotics professor embark on a perilous chase after a missing document Barthes carried: the secret "seventh function of language"—a rhetorical superpower enabling its user to convince anyone of anything. Featuring real-life intellectual icons as suspects and characters, this brilliant literary thriller blends philosophy, political intrigue, and witty suspense.

It seamlessly bridges high philosophy with high-stakes crime fiction, offering a thrilling mystery that doubles as a sharp, hilarious satire of intellectual culture and the power of language.

Fans of philosophical thrillers, literary mysteries, French literature, and anyone fascinated by linguistics, semiotics, or clever historical satire.