French Culture
A great introduction to the topic of France’s current place in the world is Gilbert Reid’s series of five one-hour episodes on CBC’s “Ideas”, first broadcast in May 2009. Reid is a journalist with a deep understanding of Europe, and the rich, endless dialogue between history and modernity that shapes European contemporary culture.
Anyone who invests the time to listen to this series in its entirety before visiting France will hear it resonating throughout their visit. If you can only manage to listen to one episode, the 5th one would be the best choice.
A great introduction to the topic of France’s current place in the world is Gilbert Reid’s series of five one-hour episodes on CBC’s “Ideas”, first broadcast in May 2009. Reid is a journalist with a deep understanding of Europe, and the rich, endless dialogue between history and modernity that shapes European contemporary culture.
Anyone who invests the time to listen to this series in its entirety before visiting France will hear it resonating throughout their visit. If you can only manage to listen to one episode, the 5th one would be the best choice.
Parisian Life and Culture
Alistair Horne's "The Seven Ages of Paris" is a unique piece of historical writing, and is completely enjoyable to read. He takes the reader through the roller-coaster of Parisian history from the early Renaissance to the late 20th century, emphasizing the personalities and lifestyle shifts that have always played the most formative role in the fortunes of the French capital.
You'll get a good sense of Horne's unique gift as a writer from the reviews on GoodReads.com
Alistair Horne's "The Seven Ages of Paris" is a unique piece of historical writing, and is completely enjoyable to read. He takes the reader through the roller-coaster of Parisian history from the early Renaissance to the late 20th century, emphasizing the personalities and lifestyle shifts that have always played the most formative role in the fortunes of the French capital.
You'll get a good sense of Horne's unique gift as a writer from the reviews on GoodReads.com
Adam Gopnik's "Paris to the Moon" reads very much like his essays in the New Yorker - he finds many profound, wonderful insights into the French psyche through the seemingly trivial details of everyday life. I've always felt this makes a great book to read while you're in Paris, rather than in advance. A lot of his references to boutiques, cafes and strolls through parks and neighbourhoods are most compelling when you can retrace them yourself, right away, while Gopnik's observations are fresh in your mind.
Joan DeJean's book "The Essence of Style" (2005) is a beautifully readable, eye-opening account of how France attained and held it's status as the centre of world fashion, from the 17th century to today.
Cuisine
Easily the most important movement to take place in French cuisine in the past 10 years is the "Fooding" movement. It all started when French journalists Alexandre Cammas and Emmanuel Rubin decided that French cuisine had become a kind of lifeless museum piece - an endlessly recitation of the same dozen or so archetypal dishes. They argued that the French needed to reinvent their national cuisine by opening it up to the forces of globalism, modernity, and even distinctly American influences. Le Fooding has become a new standard (and is incidentally the name of the best guide to Parisian restaurants).
A delicious way to experience a truly Parisian tradition is to take a chocolate tour. The ChocoParis website is a great place to start. Be sure to check out the link to "chocolate walks", which generally take about 1.5 hours. Most of the shops are open until at least 7pm, and usually have bilingual staff.
Simply the best restaurant in Paris is Le Grand Vefour
Contemporary Art
Paris Art - the best guide to contemporary art and cultural happenings in Paris (in French only)
Vingt Paris Magazine - a wonderful on-line community of English-speaking creative people in Paris. A great source of info on what's worth seeing and doing in Paris right now
FIAC (Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain). The annual contemporary art fair in Paris has a wonderful website. Their "Out and About" page is a clickable map of the art galleries in Paris, which allows you to create your own "parcours"
Historical Art
Here are some of the historical exhibitions that will be running at the major museums in Paris during May - June, 2011.
Louvre
Musée d'Orsay
Jeu de Paume
Others...I will include specific web readings around the topics I plan to speak about to the group. Examples: Rubens' Marie de Medici cycle, Victor Hugo and architecture, Apollinaire, André Breton, etc...
I am putting the finishing touches on a set of web pages about the history of France from ancient Roman times to the present, which will also be linked from here.
