For the last several summers, I have traveled to France, in part because I love the country and culture, but also to boost my French skills. In 2015 and 2016, I took French classes while staying with a famille d’accueil. These were rewarding experiences that definitely improved my French. This…
For Father’s Day, yesterday, I thought I’d write a letter to my father rather than fall back on a pre-fab, Hallmarkian, sentiment. Dear Dad, Throughout my life, I have been able to rely on you for so many things: inflating bike tires and straightening handlebars; tucking me in at night…
On Sunday, May 7th, the French elected a new president, Emmanuel Macron. After a 1-week transition period, Macron took office on May 14th. Since the election, Macron has been busy. Almost immediately, he named his prime minister, the center-right politician Édouard Philippe, and met with Angela Merkel, completing his first official foreign…
I recently read Suite Française, a poignant novel by Irene Némirovsky that would have remained hidden from history were it not for the courageous actions of her daughter, Denise Epstein. In 2004, sixty-two years after Némirovsky’s death in Auschwitz, Suite Française appeared in French libraries for the first time. It…
Last week, I was talking to a friend who will be traveling to France for work later this month. This is his first time voyaging overseas and he has no knowledge of France, so he was unsure of what to expect. We were talking about his trip when he mentioned that he…
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.…
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…
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…
