Simone Veil

[NormanH]

Simone Veil

reputedly the favourite  woman  of the French was made a member of the Académie Française today, taking Racine's 'fauteil'

She was deported to Auschwitz during the war, but later became a French  Health Minister, pushing through contraception for women and legalizing abortion.

The ornate and cultured 'discours' by Jean d'Ormesson (one of my favourite stylists in French) is here:

http://lewesternculturel.blogs.courrierinternational.com/archive/2010/03/18/discours-de-jean-d-ormesson.html

and her acceptance speech in which she speaks of Pierre Messmer

a Gaullist who was at one time de Gaulle's Army Minister then Prime Minister under Pompidou

[Christine Animal]

This time it is you Norman.  Thank you for mentioning this.

I happened to put the TV on this afternoon for something else and this was on live.  Just sat watching it all through Simone Veil's speech, then Jean d'Ormesson's.  You can do nothing else than listen when he's around.  He was marvellous as usual, still as captivating and pétillant as ever.  Ornate and cultured, you are right.  It was a great moment which I'm glad I saw.