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English Latest
December 2006 |
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Dear all,
We are delighted to present the pick of the books about France and translations from French that have recently been released in Britain. We have highlighted a range of subjects and focused on aspects of French culture that we hope you find interesting and refreshing.
Let’s start with essays. The character David Lawday describes is the man to whom diplomats still look today for the subtlest tricks of the negotiator’s art. Talleyrand: Napoleon’s master reminds us that a good 150 years before a united Europe came into being, Talleyrand’s work prepared the way for it. The Fanon Reader, features extracts from each of Fanon’s major works. It is edited and introduced by Azzeddine Haddour who contextualises Fanon and provides a comprehensive summary of critical perspectives on his writings. Even more topical is Being Arab, an exploration of what Samir Kassir describes as the “Arab malaise”. In seeking to understand how the region arrived at this point, Kassir turns to the past, revisiting the Arab “golden Age”. On the Social Sciences side, Marc Augé and Jean-Paul Colleyn show in The World of the Anthropologist, that Anthropology is changing. Traditionally seen as the comparative study of cultural diversity, anthropology now faces an increasingly globalised world in which societies are all, to some degree, connected. This essay forms a guide to this changing world.
Francophone literature is particularly vivid and has an acute point of view on contemporary societies’ problems. Allah is not obliged by Ahmadou Kourouma, tells the story of Birahima, a ten-year-old boy from the Ivory Coast and already a soldier. By making us both sick with despair and filled with laughter at the incredible and the ridiculous, his story brings us closer to comprehending the rivalries, power structures and customs that fuel Africa’s bitter wars. In The Belly of the Atlantic, by Fatou Diomé, Salie lives in Paris. Back home on the Senegalese island of Niodior, her brother Madickié counts on her to get him to France. Given his fantasies, how can Salie explain to him the grim reality of life as an immigrant? As for classic French literature, we suggest you head straight for the subversive and seductive Mademoiselle de Maupin. Théophile Gautier draws readers into the bedrooms and boudoirs of a French château in a compelling exploration of desire and sexual intrigue.
Fear and desire are the essential ingredients of thrillers. In The Prone Gunman, Jean-Patrick Manchette imagines Martin Terrier, a professional assassin, returning to Paris after his latest job. In a style ruthlessly stripped of all sentiment, Manchette delivers a masterclass in lean, muscular storytelling.
In the field of visual arts, Phaidon Press presents a major collection of Jean-Jacques Sempé’s books, showcasing the work of one of the world’s best-loved cartoonists and illustrators. To finish with, Tom McCarthy returns to Hergé’s Tintin, whose adventures have been read by tens of millions and translated into more than fifty languages. With Tintin and the secret of literature, the author asks a beguilingly simple question: is Tintin literature?
We really hope you will enjoy this selection. Don’t forget to visit our website www.frenchbooknews.com, to find out about other interesting titles.
Best wishes,
Hervé Ferrage and Sophie Moreau.