Literary books clubs are a lasting tradition within libraries and ours is no different. Every month we choose a novel which has been recently translated to English and we then gather together on a Thursday evening with a glass of wine to discuss the intricacies of the novel, the style of the author, the complexities of translation. The conversations either takes place in French or in English, it is entirely up to you!
Until we can all meet together face to face again, our traditional reading group is switching online via Zoom. Sky Harrington is our host and on 23 April at 6pm, our literary chat will explore Souvenirs de la marée basse by Chantal Thomas.
Chantal Thomas was born in 1945 in Lyon and spent her childhood in Arcachon. After writing her thesis under the supervision of Roland Barthes, she taught at several American universities and is now research director at the CNRS. She mainly wrote about Sade, Casanova, and the 18th century. In 2002 she won "Le prix Femina" for Les Adieux à la Reine. in 2014, she was awarded "Le Grand Prix de la Société des gens de lettres" for all of her work.
Ahead of the talk, we suggest listening to a few interviews:
A presentation of Souvenirs de la marée basse for La librarie Mollat
A masterclass for la BNF available on France Culture
To register send an email to library@institutfrancais.org.uk
The book can be download in an E-pub format from Culturethèque, the digital library of the Institut Français du Royaume-Uni. Haven't got an account yet? Register here. The English translation by Natasha Lehrer at Pushkin Press is available on UK online bookshops.