I was pleased to hear about Salammbo Press, a new publisher dedicated to publishing “the works of great contemporary novelists celebrated in their own country, but as yet unknown to British readers”. Salammbo are publishing three books by French writer Régis Jauffret who has 18 books to his name and won the Prix Femina in [...]
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I have just been to see the film Les Miserables, a brilliantly produced gloom-fest (despite the best efforts of Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter to lighten the tone). My response wasn’t quite as dramatic as that of the family in the viral video who left the cinema sobbing (hear the father say, [...] Naxos, the renowned producer of classical music recordings is publishing a complete and unabridged recording of Marcel Proust’s epic work, Remembrance of Things Past (À la Recherche du Temps Perdu). The reader is Neville Jason who Washington Post called “the marathon man” after his 70 hour recording of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Jason is well equipped to [...] Jerome lives with his teenage daughter, Marina. His wife, Paula, left him some years ago, apparently through boredom and the desire to live a more exciting life than her marriage to a rural estate agent gave her. Jerome is a quiet, introspective man who takes a long time to let his feelings come to the surface, but [...] As an avid reader I enjoy “books about books” and this one certainly falls into that category. Imagine a couple of lovers of literature who get the opportunity to open a book-shop which only sells “good” books, those which meet a criteria of literary worth, deliberately ignoring the current literary prizes and the year’s [...] Like so many English people, I enjoy going to France and experiencing a country very different to my own. I live near a ferry port and often see ships sailing off to cross the Channel and I always experience a touch of yearning to be sailing to the land of good wine and different (I won’t say [...] I have wanted to read more Guy de Maupassant for some time and my interest was confirmed by reading some of Guy Savage’s collection of de Maupassant articles on his blog. I’d read quite a few of de Maupassant’s short stories of course, but not one of his novels, so Pierre et Jean seemed a [...] I sometimes like to read one of the French classics, so effective are they at reminding me of travels through that beautiful country, with all the pleasures of warmer weather than England, and the cultural and historical interest encountered on the way. I don’t think there’s much point in writing my usual style of review [...] My last review was a book about Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, whose “Essays”, written in the 16th century, have become classics of philosophy. We all know that the French have far more interest in philosophy than other nations, (just look at the lengthy Wikipedia list of French philosphers), and it is no surprise to discover [...] . . . its hard living up to a child’s hopes. Right! I said we’re going to buy some biscuits and a bottle of water, and we’re going to have a picnic down by the sea! Its raining, Stan said, like it was my fault, and that was when I’d had enough. This skilfully written [...] |
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