Will Evans is really into books. In 2013, unable to restrain himself, he started a publishing house specializing in translations called Deep Vellum. A couple of years later, he opened a bookstore in Deep Ellum with the same name (3000 Commerce St., 469-781-4881). In recognition of his obsessive efforts, this month the French government is bestowing on him the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
What exactly is a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and does it get you through TSA faster? It’s a knighthood, and it goes through the French Ministry of Culture. We have more books in translation from French than any other publisher in the history of the English language. We’ve brought a lot of French authors to the U.S., and we’ve hosted a lot of French authors at the bookstore. In terms of TSA, though, they haven’t given me the list of benefits yet. I was hoping it would let me cut in line at the Louvre or get me 20 percent off at Shakespeare and Company. But it’s my first knighthood. It’s not one to be trifled with.