Four frontrunners intensify Sunday’s French presidential election

French political posters

This Sunday, French citizens are planning to vote in the first round of presidential elections. Eleven contenders are competing for the top two positions that will gain them a spot in the second and final round. Polls in recent months have echoed the fluctuating popularity of the nation’s many candidates.…

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Kobane Calling, Captivating Account of Kurdish Struggle in Syria

Cover of Kobane Calling

Kobane Calling, a new graphic novel by Italian cartoonist, Zerocalcare, provides a riveting account of the author’s humanitarian trips into war-torn Syria. Enlightening as well as entertaining, the book is fascinating on many levels and well worth your time and/or money. Originally written in Italian, a French version appeared last…

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The Troubles of François Fillon Satirized by French Media

Le Canard Enchainé takes down Fillon

In my second post about this year’s French presidential election, I thought I’d talk about the leading conservative candidate, François Fillon. Fillon was France’s prime minister, under Nicolas Sarkozy, from 2007 to 2012. When he won the Republican primary in November, polls and pundits predicted that he would handily become the next president…

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Graphic Novelist Jiro Taniguchi, Adored in France, has Died

Scene from Walking Man

Last weekend, one of France’s most celebrated graphic novelists passed away. You might be surprised to learn that he was Japanese. Indeed, Jiro Taniguchi was “knighted” as a chevalier in France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2011. While hailed in the press as a manga author, Taniguchi’s style was…

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French Presidential Election Next to Face the Rising Tide of Populism

Inundated with U.S. political news, and hearing rumors that the far-right is gaining momentum across Europe, I thought I’d take the time to explain how the French presidential election is shaping up. Why should we care what happens in France? It turns out that this election is quite important because,…

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The Stunning Courage of Coco, Female Contributor to Charlie Hebdo

I recently watched the documentary film, Je Suis Charlie, available on Netflix. The movie was released in September 2015, 9 months after the terrorist attack that killed several staff members of the sharp-edged periodical, Charlie Hebdo. The two gunmen that carried out the attack were members of Al Qaeda in…

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Last Minute Announcement of Angoulême’s 2017 Grand Prix Winner

I’ve recently written about the International Comics Festival that takes place each year in France and the controversy that marked last year’s event. At issue was the glaring absence of female nominees for the festival’s celebrated Grand Prix. The coveted Grand Prix is considered by many to be the most…

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