Tag Archives: French books
Le Prix Goncourt des Lycéens Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Nov 13, 2017
Last week, you read about the famous French literary prize Le Prix Goncourt and its winner for 2017: Eric Vuillard for L’Ordre du jour. But that’s not the only Prix Goncourt that was recently awarded. In fact, there’s another, prestigious Goncourt prize, whose finalists were just revealed today. Le Prix Goncourt des Lycéens is often…
Le Prix Goncourt 2017 Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Nov 6, 2017
Some of you may already have heard of le prix Goncourt—the most important literary award bestowed to authors writing in French. This prestigious literary award was created in 1892, in the will of author Edmund de Goncourt. Since then, the award has been given in the beginning of November of every year, making it the…
5 French Translations of Movies and Books (That You Would Never Guess!) Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Oct 16, 2017
It can be quite fun to look for English language movies and books that have been translated into French to see how their titles have changed in translation. Often, these translations show us quite a bit about the culture in question—and, perhaps, how marketing executives target releases to different audiences. Many times, you would never…
Les Meilleurs livres de 2016 (Best French Books in 2016) Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Jan 23, 2017
I’ve always been astounded, when walking into a French bookstore, at the amount of international literature (both translated and untranslated) featured on its bookshelves. Oftentimes, in the United States, American authors are highlighted to the exclusion of authors from other countries (although, of course, there are international authors who have enormous followings in the United…
Littérature de Gare: Les Polars Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Aug 1, 2016
I love detective novels–and especially literary page-turners that I can easily read while at the beach during the summer. Everyone knows of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christine, two British authors who revolutionized the genre, but do you know of any great French detective or crime novels? In French, the term for such…
French Literature – Petit Nicolas Posted by Transparent Language on Jun 15, 2009
In my very first French class, the students were required to read Petit Nicolas by Jean-Jacques Sempé and René Goscinny. That was the beginning of my love affair with these French stories about a young schoolboy who gets into all sorts of mischief (un écolier à malice), his friends and family, all told through the…