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English Latest
April / May 07 |
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Dear all,
Spring is in the air, and brings with it a wealth of literary offerings from important French thinkers.
Firstly comes Praised be our lords, by Régis Debray (translated by John Howe), Debray's latest work of autobiography to be published in Britain. In Alain Badiou's major new book, Century (translated by Alberto Toscano), the leading French philosopher undertakes to re-examine the 20th Century, which has been judged and condemned as a time of totalitarian terror, dangerous ideologies and mass genocides.
There is also a contribution to French-related recent publications to be made by German intellectual Walter Benjamin in The writer of modern life: Essays on Charles Baudelaire (translated by Howard Eiland et al.). Some of Benjamin's essays on Baudelaire have been published in the past in English translations, but now they have all been re-translated and brought together in a collection which spans Benjamin's entire career.
Looking back to other influential French figures of the past, Robin Harris has written Talleyrand: Betrayer and saviour of France, a fluent and lucid account of the life of this key Revolutionary figure who has been short of good English biographies. On the subject of the French Revolution, Verso has published Virtue and terror, by Maximilien Robespierre, introduced by Slavoj Zizek with texts selected and annotated by Jean Ducange (translated by John Howe). Part of the 'Revolutions' series on classic revolutionary writings commented by contemporary radical writers, here Zizek underscores the extraordinary resonance of Robespierre's words in today's terrorism-obsessed world. In the realm of art, The unknown Monet: Pastels and drawings, by James A. Ganz and Richard Kendall constitutes the first exhibition of drawings by an artist who is far more well-known for his paintings.
On a lighter note, Matthieu Ricard brings us Happiness: A guide to developing life's most important skill (translated by Jesse Browner). Ricard, who has spent years in the Himalayas, offers a jargon-free introduction to Buddhism and puts forward his appealing views on how contentment is a skill that can be learned.
Finally, we have selected two books to whet your literary appetite on a more literal level. Out to lunch in Provence: The ramblings of a man, by Mike Aalders, takes us on a delightful and witty gastronomic journey through the South of France, and in Bocuse in your kitchen: Simple French recipes for the home chef, the godfather of French cuisine teaches even the most inexperienced of cooks how to share his flair for good food.
Happy reading and best wishes,
Hervé Ferrage, Sophie Moreau and Carla Calimani.