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My favourite book


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I learned French reading Pagnol and Simenon. Simenon, being Belgian, always claimed to write a very clean and pure form of French, and I tend to agree with him. Move on up from Maigret into other Simenon stories - but Maigret alone can keep you going for a few years yet.

My favourite Simenon is 'Le President'.

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A couple of recent good reads that I have enjoyed;

 

Au Bon Beurre by Jean Dutourd

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

Diplomatic Baggage by Brigid Keenan (a wonderful account of being the wife of a diplomat, hilarious at times)[:)]

Currently reading Bouche cousue by Mazarine Pingeot daughter of Francois Mitterrand

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Any recommendations of other books around this level gratefully received....

 

Kathy (Hastobe)

Madeleine Chapsal's books are easy to read novels in French, try Nos enfants si gates (apologies for lack of accents)

I also enjoyed Joseph Joffo's books based on his childhood pre WW2, during the war and post war, very sad at times but a good read.

Un Sac de billes

Agates et Calots

and Baby - Foot

 

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[quote user="Dick Smith"]I'm afraid this is very predictable - my favourite book would have to be the complete works of Shakespeare. If only one play allowed, then the Tempest. 

Most of my reading these days is light fiction, but I am currently reading "The Physics of Superheroes", Bryan Sykes' "The Blood of the Isles" and "The Orogons of the British: A Genetic Detective Story" - which is a bit hard going, to be honest, but has a lot to say to all you Celtic Fringers!
[/quote]

Came late to this but did you see Larry Niven on Tv some years ago propounding 'Man of Steel - Women of Kleenex' stateing that Superman was clearly Sceince Fantasy rather than Sceince Fiction ?  also the series of Bob Shaw novels including King David's Space Ship in which PI is 3

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[quote user="Anton Redman"]

[quote user="Dick Smith"]I'm afraid this is very predictable - my favourite book would have to be the complete works of Shakespeare. If only one play allowed, then the Tempest. 

Most of my reading these days is light fiction, but I am currently reading "The Physics of Superheroes", Bryan Sykes' "The Blood of the Isles" and "The Orogons of the British: A Genetic Detective Story" - which is a bit hard going, to be honest, but has a lot to say to all you Celtic Fringers!

[/quote]

Came late to this but did you see Larry Niven on Tv some years ago propounding 'Man of Steel - Women of Kleenex' stateing that Superman was clearly Sceince Fantasy rather than Sceince Fiction ?  also the series of Bob Shaw novels including King David's Space Ship in which PI is 3

[/quote]

First of all, that should read 'Origins of the British'...

Yes, Niven on Superman is a riot.

Have a look at these~:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuVpwjYgvgg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOg1JjyhGI0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzrdgl7CUmQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4lJq6SFLYQ

The Larry Niven piece is here.

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Lyndsey2!

I loved Daudets "Lettres de Mon Moulin" as well -  his characters are so easy to get into.  I cried like a baby when I read "La Chèvre de Mr. Seguin" -  poor Blanquette[:(]

 

Hastobe!

We HAVE talked about French books! 

Try any of the short stories by Guy de Maupassant or Alphonse Daudet.  They are easy to focus on and you'll keep on going because you'll want to know what happens to the very addictive characters portrayed by these imaginitive writers.

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I loved PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, which reads a lot like something by E.L. Doctorow. 

In a more contemporary vein, I'm a huge admirer of the Daniel Pennac "Malaussène" series, which began with "Au Bonheur des Ogres." It's hard to categorize, as the first book was printed in Serie Noire as a policier, but the later books were all considered mainstream literature.  Wonderful writing, brilliant characters, surprising intrigue; in general a pure pleasure to read.

PG

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[quote user="Pierre ZFP"]How well do books translate from English into French?  I'm thinking about the humour of Terry Pratchett and something like Lord of the Rings with all the elvish and dwarfish bits[/quote]

I've done a ton of translating of literature (and comics) from French into English, and I think the important thing is to be true to the spirit of what the author was trying to say, even if the words are a bit different.  Humor is the most difficult, because it's not just a question of vocabulary as much as it's a question of culture.  You occasionally need to make changes into something that your audience will understand, or the point (and the humor) is lost.

I'm rather proud to say that I've had the French authors of some of what I've translated tell me that they've really enjoyed the job I've done.  Of course, many of the authors I've translated are dead, so do not care to comment.

I usually avoid reading French translations of English books, but unless I'm the one doing the translating, I am the same with English translations of French books!

PG

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I have to say that I went to see the film Phantom of the Opera with a friend in England when it came out. As we left the cinema she was crying. I wasn't.

She found it romantic and sad, and me, well, I just wanted to know how she could talk me into seeing something about a stalker. There was no doubt in my mind that is exactly what the phantom was, a perv and a stalker. I am sorry that I ever went to see it.

Possomgirl, is the book like the musical or the film?

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The book is totally different from the film/musical adaptations, TU! First of all, the Phantom is a MONSTER!!! He is NOT a romantic hero at all.  I find it amazing that the screen adaptations have managed to turn him into such a figure in the minds of the public!

The thing about the book that I love is the fact that LeRoux manages to mix a very punch, journalistic style and real events of the time with the fantasy elements that make up the legend of the Phantom.  The hero of the book is Raoul (who is a bit "wet," but I can live with that) and not Erik. 

Somehow, the films have Erik more like the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, which is just wrong!

One of the nice things about the book for me is that I don't find the style has aged at all.  That's not always the case with 19th Century and early 20th Century literature, where sometimes the style makes it difficult to read, even if the story is good.  We actually specialize in publilshing French pulp literature in English language editions.  Funnily enough, some of the books that we publish in English actually no longer exist in French!  We published one book, "JOHN DEVIL," for example that has never been republished in France and which we had to get from the Bibliotheque National just to be able to have it translated.

There's a lot of fun, French pulp literature with great adventure heroes, if you like that kind of thing.

PG

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  • 1 month later...
Lolita - yes indeed, absolutely brilliant. Now, try Celine.

 Here's a homage to this great writer on my favourite subject - of course!

                                                En route! En avant!  La transformation est achevée!

Il faut le voir!  «Ils» ont  fini « d'aménager »  les entrées de  la ville!

Les derniers espaces verts sont comblés! Les notables se battent pour serrer les mains!

  «Click», on a la photo!  Droite gauche,  gauche droite - de toute façon, ils l'ont tous voulu!

La tôle ondulée est en marche! Et le tic! Et le toc!  Amène ta bagnole!

Nous sommes enfin entrés  dans l'ère du tout voiture!

Il faut voir ça! Il y a des kilomètres de films 'blockbuster' à consommer!

Des magasins à la chaîne! On doit y aller pour se goinfrer en

chinoiseries! En  choucrouteries! Ou, en bœuferie! C'est juste à coté!

Fini les balades en ville  main dans la main sur le pont vieux!

Quelle ringardise! A la périphérie, il y a de tout

-  les hôpitaux aussi! Vive les urologues! Vive le cancer

du colon! Vive la croissance! On va tous y aller en périphérie!

Comme nous les avons voulu ces bâtiments en tôle! Des parkings, du bitume et des

panneaux de pub!  On est content! On est moderne! Enfin!

Mais,  fi des états-uniens! Lamentable, Bush et Co! On est

tous d'accord! (Pour une fois!) Mais, pour copier leur façon

de vivre, là,  on est pour! La transformation est totale! Nous irons  tous en périphérie!

en hommage au livre   'Guignol's Band'  de Louis Ferdinand  Céline

       

 

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I recently enjoyed reading 'C’est La Folie' by Michael Wright. If you are disposed to like books about a former Telegraph drama critic who buys a farm in rural France and learns how to look after sheep and chickens whilst retaining an enthusiasm for his ancient plane, then you will like it as much as I did. It is written with self-deprecating insight and humour though his surprise at being unable to find a romantic entanglement in deepest Limousin is a tad naïve.

 

He also has a column in one of the otherwise worthless Telegraph supplements on Saturdays. His last column raised a topic that causes much angst on this forum.

 

He meets Jacques, a schoolteacher who is also keen on flying, who remarks about another person: “… you must know him. He’s another Anglais.”

 

“To be honest, Jacques,” I reply, “I mostly do my best to steer clear of Les Anglais out here.” I think I’m expecting him to smile. But his response pulls me up short.

 

“You’re the second English person who has said that to me, Michael,” he says, wagging his finger at me as if I had just cut him up on short-final approach while flying. “And how do you think it makes us French feel?” He pauses – a schoolteacher’s practised pause, just long enough for me to see the error of my ways, yet too short for me to formulate a response. “Should we be avoiding les Anglais too?” he continues. “Is there something wrong with them?”

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Surely, the fact that someone has the same nationality little to do with whether or not you'll feel any empathy for them?

      I prefer to take people as they come - if we share the same interests /outlook on life,  then that's an indication as to a possible future friendship.

   To go and seek out a fellow countryman whilst abroad is no guarantee of finding anything in  common with them - friendships are made in the workplace or by joining an association or a political party or having shared interests/ hobbies and not by just waving a flag implying "Brits abroad, rally round!"

   The fact is (although a lot of ex-pats are loathe to admit it) we are all europeans as Arno, the Belgian singer says in one of his songs "Putain, putain, nous sommes tous des europeans."

  

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Many Brits in France seek out others, as their level of French language skills means that they cannot have more than a superficial conversation in French. (I admit to fitting into this group). A standpoint taken by other Brits in France - like Michael Wright - who speak French well, is to show how they wish to be assimilated, by avoiding these embarassing compatriots. This is what is confusing Jacques.
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You'll never speak French well if you don't persist in trying. My wife is French, which helps, but I just spoke a few words in 1982 when I first arrived. I read Le Monde every day and the local paper and watched French TV and, as I was working with French traders doing up a house, within a few months I had a workable grasp of the language. My accent still gives my origins away even after 25 years residence though.

         Try reading 'Liberation', a daily that treats its readers as adults (not like the increasingly downmarket 'The Observer' that I've just gone and bought and spent an hour labouring through).............

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