Archive for 'Culture'
Bienvenue Adam! Posted by adam on May 9, 2011
Have you ever dreamed of wandering through the quaint cobblestoned streets of Paris, pausing to savor an exquisite cafe gourmand at one of the city’s many celebrated neighborhood cafes? My name is Adam, and I have the incredible opportunity to do just that…every single day! Originally hailing from small town Iowa, I’ve called Paris home…
Secrets de l’art magique surréaliste (Secrets of the Magical Surrealist Art) Posted by Hichem on May 6, 2011
Yesterday’s post, “Surréalisme of André Breton: “La chute libre dans le subconscient” (“The Free Fall into the Subconscious”)“, introduced a general idea of what “le surréalisme” is, and described the Surrealist call to give carte blanche (or “free rein”) to one’s subconscious, in the manner that was expressed by le chef de file (the leader) of…
Surréalisme of André Breton Posted by Hichem on May 5, 2011
Imagine if you were to completely open your mind, without the slightest form of compulsion or restraint, set it into the most “passive mode“, and start writing, just writing, not caring about any considération logique ou esthétique (logical or esthetical consideration)… Give free reign to your subconscious to express itself in plain words. If you…
Hedonistic French Rap: “Chui Un Bo Gosse” (I’m a Handsome Kid) Posted by Hichem on Apr 30, 2011
Disiz la Peste dedicates this song to “tous les beaux gosses et les belles gosses” (“all the handsome kids and the beautiful girls”)—No doubt an “inspirational hymn” for the “bogossitude” movement headed by its founder, Mickaël Vendetta * * * If you read the title and haven’t yet come to understand how “Chui un bo gosse”…
La Plume de Ma Tante (My Aunt’s Pen) Posted by Hichem on Apr 29, 2011
For the now-graying baby boomer generation, the title of “la plume de ma tante” often evokes some fond and vivid early childhood memories; whereas for the progeny of the “Generation X” and above (Generation Y and Z), it most likely reminds them of a rather ghastly scene of le film d’horreur (horror movie) “l’Exorciste“, which premiered…
Si je t’aime, prends garde à toi – Bizet’s French Opéra: “Carmen” Posted by Hichem on Apr 26, 2011
Thoroughly inspired from the Spanish composer Sebastián Iradier, “Habanera” is a famous aria from the French opéra “Carmen” by Georges Bizet If you thought at first that the title of today’s post is somehow related to the KISS song (You know, the one that goes “You better watch out, cause I’m a War Machine”), then you’re…
French Conjugaison: the Verb Ouvrir (To Open) Posted by Hichem on Apr 25, 2011
What could be better to open up la nouvelle semaine(the new week) than la conjugaison of the verb ouvrir (to open)? * * * The naturally-born funny French comedian actor Fernandel stars as “Ali Baba”, the famous Arabian Nights tale in which he utters the three magic words: “Sésame, ouvre-toi!” (“Open Sesame!”) Here’s “un aperçu“, or a…