UPCOMING EVENTS

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• LO271 Mémoires d'une jeune fille rangée (Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter), by Simone de Beauvoir

  • When
    27 Oct 2023
  •  
    2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
  • Location
    To Be Determined
  • Spaces left
    7

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  Simone de Beauvoir's autobiographical account of her early life in a conservative Parisian family.

  Published in 1958, the memoir serves as both an intimate account of her early life and a critical examination of the societal norms and gender roles that shaped her. As she navigates family expectations and intellectual pursuits, de Beauvoir lays the groundwork for her future seminal works, notably "The Second Sex."

  The book is not just a personal narrative but also an exploration of the formative influences that spark a young woman's journey toward intellectual freedom and feminism.

  “It is a book that will leave no one indifferent, and no one affected in quite the same way.” — New York Times

  “This excellent autobiography . . . of the bending of the twig is, in certain respects, more sympathetic than the later leafings of the tree; but the line between the child Simone and the woman of The Second Sex and The Mandarins is direct and clear.” — Chicago Sunday Times

  Note: Both English and original language versions can be found online or by order in English bookstores including The Red Wheelbarrow and Shakespeare & Co. French (translated) version can be found online or in certain libraries across Paris.

  
  

  About the Facilitator
  

  Victoria Wilhelm, who will be leading the discussion, is a graduate student in French Literature and Culture at the Sorbonne, in Paris.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• LN241 L'Anomalie (The Anomaly), by Hervé le Tellier

  • When
    24 Nov 2023
  •  
    2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
  • Location
    To Be Determined
  • Spaces left
    9

  

  Published in 2020, L'Anomalie won the prestigious Prix Goncourt in the same year. An  Oulipian work, the novel explores a wide range of themes including identity, reality, and the human condition, all framed within a speculative fiction scenario that involves a commercial airplane and its passengers experiencing an inexplicable anomaly.

  The story poses existential questions through its complex narrative structure and multiple viewpoints, which allows it to delve into the psyches of various characters. The novel has been praised for its ambitious storytelling, which combines elements of mystery, science fiction, and philosophical inquiry.

  "Swerves between various genres—science fiction, a thriller, love stories, an introspective work—without being confined by any of them." —New York Times

  Registration will open on 27 October 2023.
  

  About the Organizer

  Victoria Wilhelm, who will be leading the discussion, is a graduate student in French Literature and Culture at the Sorbonne, in Paris.

  
  

  
  

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• LD151 L'Evénement (Happening), by Annie Ernaux

  • When
    15 Dec 2023
  •  
    2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
  • Location
    To Be Determined
  • Spaces left
    8

  Set in 1963, four years before the legalization of oral contraception in France and twelve years before the Veil Act (which legalized abortion), the autobiographical narrative describes the troubles a young student faces when seeking out an abortion.

  The story begins her recounting how waiting for the results of an HIV test reminded her of the similar stressful experience of discovering she was pregnant.
  

  She speaks about the stress of finding out, and the consequences, such as hiding it from her parents and public, searching for a doctor who would perform the still-illegal procedure, revealing the pregnancy to some close friends for help, and the emotional toll of the abortion itself.

  Entries from her journal frame the events from the first three months of her pregnancy to the abortion and recovery.

  Claire Devarrieux, of Libération, wrote that Ernaux's story "transcends individuality."

  Emily Eakin, of The New York Times Book Review wrote, "As subject matter goes, little could be more inherently provocative. Ernaux's take is all the more so for being unabashedly philosophical rather than moral."

  Registration opens on 24 November 2023.

  About the Organizer
  

  Victoria Wilhelm, who will be leading the discussion, is a graduate student in French Literature and Culture at the Sorbonne, in Paris.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• L'Art de Perdre (The Art of Losing), by Alice Ziniter

  • When
    26 Jan 2024
  •  
    3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
  • Location
    To Be Announced
  • Spaces left
    9

  Naïma is a young French woman working in a Parisian art gallery. She represents the third generation of her family, whose roots trace back to Algeria.
  
  Throughout the novel, Naïma grapples with questions of identity, belonging, and the complex history of her family. Her grandfather, who immigrated to France from Algeria, carries with him the memories and traumas of the Algerian War of Independence, a subject that has always been taboo in their family.
  
  Driven by a need to understand her family's past and her place within it, Naïma embarks on a journey to explore her Algerian heritage. This takes her to Algeria, where she learns about her family's history and the broader context of Franco-Algerian relations.

  Deriving its title from the first line of Elizabeth Bishop's seminal poem "One Art," Alice Zeniter's "The Art of Losing" also won the Dublin Literary Award,  the 2017 Prix Goncourt des Lycéens, the Porte Dorée Literary Prize, and Le Monde's Literary Prize.

  
  

  
  

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• L'Ordre du Jour (The Order of the Day), by Éric Vuillard

  • When
    23 Feb 2024
  •  
    3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
  • Location
    To Be Announced
  • Spaces left
    8

  

  In this 2018 Goncourt Prize winner, author Éric Vuillard follows the actions of European politicians and business leaders in the run up to World War II.

  The novel tells the fascinating account of the failed diplomacy, broken relationships, and the catastrophic momentum that led to the war.
  
  The leaders of German industry—believing they will prosper under the Nazi regime—agree to lend their support to Adolph Hitler. Of course, things don't go entirely as planned, and as on thing leads to another, the world slides inexorably towards the abyss.
  

  Not quite fiction, but not quite fact, the French describe it as a récit, while the English newspaper The Guardian calls it "an historical essay with literary flourishes."

  The Guardian said: "However you decide to categorise it, this is a thoroughly gripping and mesmerising work of black comedy and political disaster. It seems designed single-mindedly to remind us that, as it says, “Great catastrophes often creep up on us in tiny steps.”

  

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• L'Œuvre au Noir (The Abyss), by Marguerite Yourcenar

  • When
    22 Mar 2024
  •  
    3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
  • Location
    To Be Announced
  • Spaces left
    9

  

  "L'Œuvre au Noir" is a historical novel chronicling the life of the fictional character Zeno, a 16th-century physician, alchemist, and philosopher.

  Set during the Renaissance, a time of great scientific and philosophical upheaval, the novel delves into Zeno's quest for knowledge in various fields such as medicine, alchemy, and humanism. His intellectual pursuits, often in conflict with religious orthodoxy, lead him to face persecution and personal struggles.

  Yourcenar's novel explores themes of intellectual freedom, existential quest, and the tension between science and religion. Her prose weaves historical accuracy with profound character insight, capturing the zeitgeist of the Renaissance.

  "L'Œuvre au Noir" is a complex and richly layered novel that portrays the life of an intellectual pioneer in an era teetering between medieval superstition and the dawn of modernity.

  Registration opens on Friday, 24 November.

  
  

  
  

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