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metropolitan France as well as by francophone authors from Canada, the Caribbean, Africa, Belgium and Switzerland, One Hundred Great French Books offers a rich, varied, and multicultural panorama of one of the most beloved and inspiring literatures in the world." --Book Jacket.
A celebration of the most enchanting hamlets in France, now available in a popular format. Gorgeously illustrated as well as informative, One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in France is a tour through the pleasures of the French countryside, a place where the pace slows, locals engage strangers in conversation, and every town presents a unique set of curiosities waiting to be discovered. Whether you are an armchair traveler or a Francophile planning another trip, this volume is the guide to the hidden treasures of France that proves once and for all that the heart of this popular travel destination lies in the countryside far from the grandeur and pomp of Paris. Wander the serpentine alleyways of the rockbound coastal fishing villages in Brittany and Normandy; explore medieval masterpieces in Alsace and order flammekueche, this region’s thin-crusted pizza; spend a day in the Ile-de-France, the green surround of Paris, and visit the magnificent Château de Versailles, or the palace at Fontainebleau, a treasure trove of mannerist delights. One Hundred & One Beautiful Small Towns in France is a map to the heart and soul of the French countryside, complete with a full appendix of restaurants, hotels, and shops to aid even the most seasoned travelers and Francophiles.
Beautifully illustrated as well as informative, One Hundred & One Beautiful Towns in France: Food and Wine explores the local delicacies of a country known for and proud of its love of food and wine. Organized by region, this book features a wonderful sampling of French plaisirs de la table and the shops and markets where you can find them. The classic dishes and drink of France are as remarkably varied as its many different regions: Quench your thirst with a glass of calvados, the heady apple brandy that Normandy is known f∨ reach "land’s end" or Finistère, in Brittany, and enjoy a galette, a savory buckwheat crêpe stuffed with ham and cheese or mushrooms and lobster; don’t miss the vendange (harvest) in romantic Burgundy or a simple, hearty meal of boeuf bourguignon; in scenic Alsace enjoy a piping-hot flammekueche, a tart of local cheeses, speck, and onions. A thorough appendix provides useful addresses and phone numbers to accommodate planning your trip, including hotel listings, restaurants, wineries, and shops. Sidebars give information on local delicacies to be tasted and imbibed, as well as where to find the choicest goods.
"In this volume of four short novels, Duras demonstrates her remarkable ability to create an emotional intensity and unity by focusing on the intimate details of the relationships among only a few central characters: from the park bench couple in "The Square" (1955) to the double love triangle in "10:30 on a Summer Night" (1960), each novel probes the depths and complexities of human emotion, of love and of despair. Exceptional for their range in mood and situation, these four novels are unparalleled exhibitions of a poetic beauty that is uniquely Duras."--Publisher description.
A New York Review Books Original During the eighteenth century, from the death of Louis XIV until the Revolution, French culture set the standard for all of Europe. In Sweden, Austria, Italy, Spain, England, Russia, and Germany, among kings and queens, diplomats, military leaders, writers, aristocrats, and artists, French was the universal language of politics and intellectual life. In When the World Spoke French, Marc Fumaroli presents a gallery of portraits of Europeans and Americans who conversed and corresponded in French, along with excerpts from their letters or other writings. These men and women, despite their differences, were all irresistibly attracted to the ideal of human happiness inspired by the Enlightenment, whose capital was Paris and whose king was Voltaire. Whether they were in Paris or far away, speaking French connected them in spirit with all those who desired to emulate Parisian tastes, style of life, and social pleasures. Their stories are testaments to the appeal of that famous “sweetness of life” nourished by France and its language.
Told in a series of stylish, original essays, New York Times travel bestseller 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go is for the serious Francophile and anyone who loves crisp stories well told. Like all great travel writing, this collection goes beyond the guidebook and offers insight not only about where to go but why to go there. Combining advice, memoir, and meditations on the glories of traveling through France, this book is the must-have for anyone—woman or man—voyaging to or just dreaming of France. Award-winning writer Marcia DeSanctis draws on years of travels and life in France to lead you through vineyards, architectural treasures, fabled gardens, and contemplative hikes from Biarritz to Deauville, Antibes to the French Alps. These 100 entries capture art, history, food, fresh air, beaches, wine, and style and along the way, she tells the stories of many fascinating women who changed the country’s destiny. Ride a white horse in the Camargue, seek iconic paintings of women in Paris, try thalassotherapy in St. Malo, shop for raspberries at Nice’s Cour Saleya market—these and 96 other pleasures are rendered with singular style. The stories are sexy, literary, spiritual, profound, and overall, simply gorgeous. 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go is an indispensable companion for the smart and curious love of France.
The author of A Year in the Merde and Talk to the Snail offers a highly biased and hilarious view of French history in this international bestseller. Things have been just a little awkward between Britain and France ever since the Norman invasion in 1066. Fortunately—after years of humorously chronicling the vast cultural gap between the two countries—author Stephen Clarke is perfectly positioned to investigate the historical origins of their occasionally hostile and perpetually entertaining pas de deux. Clarke sets the record straight, documenting how French braggarts and cheats have stolen credit rightfully due their neighbors across the Channel while blaming their own numerous gaffes and failures on those same innocent Brits for the past thousand years. Deeply researched and written with the same sly wit that made A Year in the Merde a comic hit, this lighthearted trip through the past millennium debunks the notion that the Battle of Hastings was a French victory (William the Conqueror was really a Norman who hated the French) and pooh-poohs French outrage over Britain’s murder of Joan of Arc (it was the French who executed her for wearing trousers). He also takes the air out of overblown Gallic claims, challenging the provenance of everything from champagne to the guillotine to prove that the French would be nowhere without British ingenuity. Brits and Anglophiles of every national origin will devour Clarke’s decidedly biased accounts of British triumph and French ignominy. But 1000 Years of Annoying the French will also draw chuckles from good-humored Francophiles as well as “anyone who’s ever encountered a snooty Parisian waiter or found themselves driving on the Boulevard Périphérique during August” (The Daily Mail). A bestseller in Britain, this is an entertaining look at history that fans of Sarah Vowell are sure to enjoy, from the author the San Francisco Chronicle has called “the anti-Mayle . . . acerbic, insulting, un-PC, and mostly hilarious.”
This we can be sure of: when a restaurant in the western world is famous for its cooking, it is the tricolor flag that hangs above the stove, opined one French magazine, and this is by no means an isolated example of such crowing. Indeed, both linguistically and conceptually, the restaurant itself is a French creation. Why are the French recognized by themselves and others the world over as the most enlightened of eaters, as the great gourmets? Why did the passion for food—gastronomy—originate in France? In French Gastronomy, geographer and food lover Jean-Robert Pitte uncovers a novel answer. The key, it turns out, is France herself. In her climate, diversity of soils, abundant resources, and varied topography lie the roots of France's food fame. Pitte masterfully reveals the ways in which cultural phenomena surrounding food and eating in France relate to space and place. He points out that France has some six hundred regions, or microclimates, that allow different agricultures, to flourish, and fully navigable river systems leading from peripheral farmlands directly to markets in the great gastronomic centers of Paris and Lyon. With an eye to this landscape, Pitte wonders: Would the great French burgundies enjoy such prestige if the coast they came from were not situated close to the ancient capital for the dukes and a major travel route for medieval Europe? Yet for all the shaping influence of earth and climate, Pitte demonstrates that haute cuisine, like so much that is great about France, can be traced back to the court of Louis XIV. It was the Sun King's regal gourmandise—he enacted a nightly theater of eating, dining alone but in full view of the court—that made food and fine dining a central affair of state. The Catholic Church figures prominently as well: gluttony was regarded as a "benign sin" in France, and eating well was associated with praising God, fraternal conviviality, and a respect for the body. These cultural ingredients, in combination with the bounties of the land, contributed to the full flowering of French foodways. This is a time of paradox for French gourmandism. Never has there been so much literature published on the subject of culinary creativity, never has there been so much talk about good food, and never has so little cooking been done at home. Each day new fast-food places open. Will French cuisine lose its charm and its soul? Will discourse become a substitute for reality? French Gastronomy is a delightful celebration of what makes France unique, and a call to everyone who loves French food to rediscover its full flavor.
Is conversational French turning a little too tricky for you? Do you have no idea on how to order a meal or book a room at a hotel? If your answer to any of the previous questions was ‘Yes’, then this book is for you! If there’s even been something tougher than learning the grammar rules of a new language, it’s finding the way to speak with other people in that tongue. Any student knows this – we can try our best at practicing, but you always want to avoid making embarrassing mistakes or not getting your message through correctly. ‘How do I get out of this situation?’ many students ask themselves, to no avail, but no answer is forthcoming. Until now. We have compiled MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED French Stories for Beginners along with their translations, allowing new French speakers to have the necessary tools to begin studying how to set a meeting, rent a car or tell a doctor that they don’t feel well! We’re not wasting time here with conversations that don’t go anywhere: if you want to know how to solve problems (while learning a ton of French along the way, obviously), this book is for you! How Conversational French Dialogues works: Each new chapter will have a fresh, new story between two people who wish to solve a common, day-to-day issue that you will surely encounter in real life.A French version of the conversation will take place first, followed by an English translation. This ensures that you fully understood just what it was that they were saying!Before and after the main section of the book, we shall provide you with an introduction and conclusion that will offer you important strategies, tips and tricks to allow you to get the absolute most out of this learning material.That’s about it! Simple, useful and incredibly helpful; you will NOT need another conversational French book once you have begun reading and studying this one!We want you to feel comfortable while learning the tongue; after all, no language should be a barrier for you to travel around the world and expand your social circles! So look no further! Pick up your copy of Conversational French Dialogues and start learning French right now!
Simone (“Simca”) Beck is known to millions of Americans as Julia Child’s French partner in the creation of the two classic volumes of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Now, she gives us her own delectable recipes—the ones she most treasures out of a lifetime of cooking creativity that has made her one of the great cuisinières of her day. Here are recipes that were inspired by old French family specialties found in her mother’s and grandmother’s well-thumbed notebooks; recipes that grew out of Simca’s life in the provinces (particularly Normandy, Alsace, and Provence) where she has gardened, cooked, dined out, and entertained; simple delights and fabulous concoctions all set down with a beautiful French clarity. Skillfully adapting her French ways to American needs, she presents over 100 recipes in 31 alluring menus designed for every sort of occasion—a warming dinner after a winter walk in the woods, a feast to dazzle your friends, a buffet for winter and one for summer, even an elegant picnic. For each menu Simca has written a charming, altogether personal introduction filled with nuggets of useful information, like what can be cooked ahead of time or how long last-minute preparations will take. Specific wines are always suggested with the menus, along with specific cheeses when called for. In addition, this volume features a small collection of other favorite dishes that did not fit into the menus but were simply too good to leave out. All in all, Simca’s Cuisine is a lasting treasure for everyone in search of new delicacies to serve, new menus that will enchant, new aromas and flavors in the French tradition, and new ways to find expertise in the kitchen and joy at the table.
