PUBLICATIONS

Langages du Sud editions in collaboration with the International Union of Railways (UIC) and its members, published two major fine books about rail around the world.

High-Speed World is a tribute to the global saga of high-speed rail, as well as an invitation to travel by train, from one country to another, one city to another, one station to another. A work that bears witness to the exploits of the contemporary railway. This fine book tells the story, in chronological order, of 21 of the world’s most emblematic high-speed rail lines, chosen for their exceptional qualities. Texts and photos retrace the challenges accepted by designers and builders who have mastered the natural world, erecting stunning engineering works that span precipitous mountain ranges and tunnel under the sea. This book highlights the stars of these lines: the trains, whose futuristic design is synonymous with comfort, speed, and safety. Finally, this work illustrates the impact of high-speed upon land use, the environment, and the mobility of world populations. High-speed, bringing mankind ever closer, continues to amaze us.

The authors:
→ Marie-Pascale Rauzier is a historian and author of forty works – fine books and travel guides – on a variety of subjects. She has already authored four books on the subject of the world of rail: ONCF, rail of the future; Rail Stations of Morocco; Dream Stations, a worldwide odyssey and High-Speed Morocco.
→ François Schuiten is a graphic artist of international renown, and is notably the author, in collaboration with Benoît Peeters, of the cult fantasy series Les Cités obscures. His graphic novels have been published in fifteen languages and have received multiple awards. Fascinated by the world of rail, this talented scenographer is the designer of Train World, the rail museum of Brussels, inaugurated in 2015.

People should visit a railway station in the same way they would visit a historic monument. These modern-day palaces have accompanied the history of the railway for one hundred and fifty years, they are their cities’ memory, a haven between journeys, and a continuation of the urban space. Dream Stations, a Worldwide Odyssey tells the saga of over fifty of the most beautiful rail stations around the world. Those whose architecture stuns and delights; centenarians whose interior design, sculptures, and style bear testimony to the era of their construction; the ultra-contemporary structures that offer a fresh take on the railway in the twenty-first century. Mixing all ages, cultures, and thousands of personal journeys, these rail stations offers us a voyage around the globe. Photos and texts highlight the sublime, charming, or innovative architecture of these edifices, these animated living spaces adapted to the era in which we live. As an extension of urban vitality, the railway station creates a true complicity between the railway, the train, and the city. Fifteen themes from the series "Rail Stations on Film" are introduced throughout the book, embellishing the text with stories of the unforgettable presence of these stopping places both in fiction and in our imagination.

The author:
→ Marie-Pascale Rauzier is a historian and author of forty works – fine books and travel guides – on a variety of subjects. She has already authored four books on the subject of the world of rail: ONCF, rail of the future; Rail Stations of Morocco; Dream Stations, a worldwide odyssey and High-Speed Morocco.