and this one too.............

[Paysages de France]

'Belle de Seigneur ' by Albert Cohen (Gallimard) is another quite extraordinary  french classic. Written in 1968,  the first few hundred pages relates the life of a minor  employee of  a united nations department in Geneva. The author's description of the humdrum life of the main character and his efforts to fill his working hours can be compared to Proust's meanderings on the smell of  'madeleines' being baked. The second half is based on the eternal adventure between men and women and can be read like a very complicated vision of a love affaiir though personally, I must admit to preferring the first half.  This book is exceedingly well written.

     Fabrice Luchini, the French actor (a sort of intellectual Ricky Gervais, les funny, but rather more brilliant) reads and comments on texts by French authors. He's currently reading the work of Valery, a somewhat hard to understand French writer, in a Parisian theatre to full houses. Previously, he's read all the works of Louis Ferdinand Celine in public - a real treat. His interventions on French TV are becoming legendary and he just seems to improve with age.   By the way, Russet House, if you should be reading this, (I assume

your'e monitoring my interventions) isn't recommending books a

form of advertising? Why do you sollicit your readers to contribute

their favourite authors but you censor them when they transmit  details

of non profit making associations such as Paysages de France? A reading tip for you - '99 francs'

by Frederic Begbeider and 'No Logo' by Naomi Klein and the yearly

review 'Casseurs de Pub' (available in frenchnewsagents).

            

     

[Catalpa]

[quote user="Paysages de France"] ...isn't recommending books a

form of advertising?

[/quote]

If you are the author or the publisher, then probably yes. Otherwise I think you aren't so much recommending books as trying to make a point. Unsuccessfully.

[Dick Smith]

Again!

A little bit of paragraphing would make your messages much easier to read, and then perhaps people would understand exactly what you are saying.

[Bugsy]

My Favourite Book.

Triumph Sprint ST Service Manual - published by Triumph Motorcycles - available from Triumph Motorcycles £76.50.

[Www].......................................................[;-)]

[Paysages de France]

   Hey Dick,  I thought  Russet House had the smallest brain on this forum! The anti- intellectual tendancy among British people, encouraged by the ruling classes, surely doesn't stop those  people intelligent enough to live in France from understanding a text unless it's cut up in neat little paragraphs, does it? It's no wonder that three quarters of the population read the tabloids if educational standards have slipped so low that a few sentences strung together cause some people difficulty!

    I 'd suggest that   'Zen and the art of motorcycle mechanics' is probably a more thought provoking read than the book on Triumph motorcycles, but as this thread was bare before I 'took up the needle' I suppose that discovering interesting literature  isn't the favourite pastime of forum users.

           

   

 

[Dick Smith]

Oh you're such a love, aren't you?

I expect you've got loads of friends...

[Bugsy]

Sorry Paysages, but you are clearly not on the right forum with us mere morons. Why don't you try www.ivegotmyheadupmyar*e.com I'm sure that will be of more appropriate use to you.

[Dick Smith]

Is that the one that David Icke posts on?

[Bugsy]

Thats the one...........................................[:)]

[Dick Smith]

[quote user="Paysages de France"]   Hey Dick,  I thought  Russet House had the smallest brain on this forum! The anti- intellectual tendancy among British people, encouraged by the ruling classes, surely doesn't stop those  people intelligent enough to live in France from understanding a text unless it's cut up in neat little paragraphs, does it? It's no wonder that three quarters of the population read the tabloids if educational standards have slipped so low that a few sentences strung together cause some people difficulty!

    I 'd suggest that   'Zen and the art of motorcycle mechanics' is probably a more thought provoking read than the book on Triumph motorcycles, but as this thread was bare before I 'took up the needle' I suppose that discovering interesting literature  isn't the favourite pastime of forum users.

           

   

 

[/quote]

I'm sorry I'm so thick. I'm not a writer. I do, however, know how to spell 'tendency' and 'solicit'.  And it is 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'.

Your posts continue to show that you are abrasive and intolerant - I think that you should take Gary's advice (and for future reference, he isn't really thick either).

[Tresco]

Paysages, there are plenty of people on this site who appreciate book recommendations.

Unfortunately yours seemed to be offered as a 'vehicle' to deliver a snide dig at a forum member (Russethouse). It simply wasn't necessary,

[Russethouse]

Ah - you are back, actually I have been too busy doing research for an article I am writing for a 'not for profit' organization, to monitor your posts, however I note you have yet to read the Code of Conduct for this forum : http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/465569/ShowPost.aspx

Please read and inwardly digest. It's only a rumor that I do have a sense of humor.[;-)]

[Tresco]

We were posting at the same time Gay.

I never dreamed for one moment you had a sense of humour! 

Did he say that?      The Cad[:D]

[Tresco]

[quote user="Russethouse"]It's only a rumor that I do have a sense of humor.[;-)][/quote]

OMG. Gay's turned into a nine year old American comic poet.[:D]

[Russethouse]

Gee - honey, how fun [:)]

[Paysages de France]

         As far as friends are concerned, I imagine that evryone on line here is pretty much friendless, otherwise , why would they be spending their time  posting  messages on ex pat internet forums ? My excuse is that the weather outside is dull, wet and uninspiring, something I'd hoped to find a remedy for on this thread.

        But, apart from the person who says his favourite book is about Triumph motorcycles, (and that's written in English) I'm the only contibutor in over 14 items to have actually seriously praised French authors, which makes me wonder if any Complete forum contributors actually make the effort to read in French.

       So (another new paragraph for Dick), how about a discussion on French authors? What do you think of Michel Houellebeque? Has anyone read Celine, Albert Cohen, Duras in French?

        Has anyone else noticed the similarity between the  books of  the american/italian  writer John Fante  -  and the French author and founder of 'Charlie Hebdo' ,  Francis Cavanna,  who wrote 'The ritals'  that treads the same ground in dealing  with  family  relations in an  immigrant Italian community?

[Unknown]

Oh I just love John Fante, he's my favourite author ever.

[Clair]

You're making rather a lot of assumptions here PdF...

As well as making assumptions, you seem to be spoiling for an argument with anyone who challenges your views.

PS: I don't like Michel Houellebecq (that's how his name is spelt) and find him thoroughly annoying, so I will not be joining that discussion!

[Bugsy]

[quote user="Paysages de France"]         As far as friends are concerned, I imagine that evryone on line here is pretty much friendless, otherwise , why would they be spending their time  posting  messages on ex pat internet forums ? My excuse is that the weather outside is dull, wet and uninspiring, something I'd hoped to find a remedy for on this thread.
        But, apart from the person who says his favourite book is about Triumph motorcycles, (and that's written in English) I'm the only contibutor in over 14 items to have actually seriously praised French authors, which makes me wonder if any Complete forum contributors actually make the effort to read in French. 
[/quote]

Presumptious is a word that springs to mind.

Your first paragraph (nice to see you using them) does not even warrant a comment.

Triumph publish their manuals in a dozen or more languages, so how you know that the one I have is written in english, I cannot imagine. (it was only posted as a joke)

As said previously, you seem intent on a fight, stemming no doubt on some previous baggage that you are still carrying around.

A bit of advice from someone who's been there,done that and got the 'T' shirt, lighten up, life is simply too short.

 

[Russethouse]

 As far as friends are concerned, I imagine that evryone on line here is pretty much friendless, otherwise , why would they be spending their time  posting  messages on ex pat internet forums

If you want to spark a meaningful discussion it might be a good idea to start on a positive note, not with a global insult.

[Catalpa]

He has two reasons for being here. His original posts were met with less than universal admiration so a) he's looking to convince us of his undoubted position as a superior being and b) provoke another argument along the way. I'm filing him under WUM. Not quite of troll proportions.

[Paysages de France]

 It's  raining outside and friends aren't lining up to visit, so I'm still here.

  Michel Houelleb ECQ  it is then - yes he can be annoying, but also very thought provoking, and visionary. He wrote the script for  the Bali bombings in one of his books. I suppose Clair, that you don't like JC Ballard (not a French writer) either, who tries to foresee future tendancies in society  ('Super Cannes' springs to mind, I wonder why? - a book that imagines a violent future for bored ex - pats, reduced to going on killing sprees to brighten up their dull lives).

      If you like John Fanté read 'Les Ritals' by Francis Cavanna, it's a treat.

 And, by the way, Cavanna, who's 85, made a rare appearance two days ago for the trial of 'Charlie Hebdo' the French satirical weekly  that re produced the Danish anti islamic cartoons as a matter of principal. Bayrou and Hollande attended the trial  and even Sarkozy sent a message of support. I doubt if that would have happened in the UK.

         I suppose the book on Triumph motorcycles could well be in French, after all I possess a (very good) book written  in French on the Rolling Stones by the French author, Francois Bon.( 'The Rolling Stones - une biographe) He says that in 1967,  as a 15 year old, he served petrol in a Bordeaux garage to Keith Richards and Brian Jones as they passed through France on their way to Tangiers in the latter's Bentley. This slight brush with the underworld of 60's pop culture changed his life, as he explains in his extremely well researched  book, (especially on the very early years) that unfortunately includes very badly spelt english quotations. In 1967, at the same age, I asked Bill Wyman (a near neighbour) if he wanted his car washed and he replied 'No thanks, the garage over the road does it'. This didn't change my life in the slightest - as far as I'm aware.

      

     

[Clair]

[img]http://www.websmileys.com/sm/sleep/schla01.gif[/img]

[Bugsy]

[quote user="Paysages de France"] It's  raining outside and friends aren't lining up to visit, so I'm still here.

   - a book that imagines a violent future for bored ex - pats, reduced to going on killing sprees to brighten up their dull lives). 
             
     
[/quote]

Now there's a thought..............................................[:)][:)]

Sorry, must go, we've got a houseful of friends here this morning..........................................[Www]

[Paysages de France]

Your moniker reminds me that the people who employ the French expression 'C'est clair' very  frequently are nine  times out of ten the people who are obviously the most confused by their own lives and their own  personal thought patterns. 

     There was a French feminist mag at one time called 'Marie pas Claire'  that was started to oppose the mag 'Marie Claire' that had dropped all of its former feminist promoting tendancies after a few years existence.

 Ah, at last it's brightening up outside, I'll soon be off this forum and back in the real world.