Every month in France-Amérique, discover the best of French and Francophone culture in the United States.
Analysis of French-American news • French cultural events in the United States • Interviews with leading intellectuals • Fashion tips • Traditional and contemporary recipes • Reports from across the United States • Authors’ perspectives on America • Portraits of artists, entrepreneurs, and other French-American personalities • The best of Francophone literature translated into English • French movies and series in theaters and online • French habits and linguistic subtleties • Unique places to visit in France • And so much more…
December 2020
Discover our selection of gifts to treat your Francophile relatives and friends during the holiday season! This month, we also explore the historical roots of Parisian clichés with the show Emily in Paris, we take a look at the portrayal of the French Revolution in cinema with American historian David Bell, and we shine some light on Adrienne Fidelin, “Man Ray’s forgotten muse.”
Featured Articles
LIFESTYLE
THE MUSÉE DU GRAND SIÈCLE
The Glory of France’s Golden Age
Nestled in Saint-Cloud, in the Seine Valley near Versailles, this new museum will showcase the exceptional artistic creativity during the reign of Louis XIV and is set to open in 2025.
CULTURE
ADRIENNE FIDELIN
Man Ray’s Forgotten Muse
He called her his “little black sun.” Born in Guadeloupe, Adrienne Fidelin was the American artist’s partner in Paris before World War II tore them apart. She appears in almost 400 of the renowned artist’s photographs, and in 1937 became the first Black model to be featured in a leading U.S. fashion magazine. However, she was pushed to the sidelines of history.
CULTURE
RAYMOND DEPARDON
Rural Portraits
Photographer Raymond Depardon traveled up and down rural France to meet farming communities until 2015. A gentle immersion in country life.
By Jonas Cuénin
CULTURE
GEORGES CLEMENCEAU
An Epistolarian in America
George Clemenceau was two-time president of the council, minister of the interior, and minister of war. He worked as a correspondent in New York for French daily Le Temps from 1865 through 1869, and became a shrewd observer of American politics during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. His “Lettres d’Amérique” have been a reference for U.S. historians since they were translated in 1928, and have just been published as a comprehensive volume in France.
Table of contents
NEWS
Liberté, Fraternité, Laïcité: Why the Murder of a Schoolteacher Has Shocked the Nation. By Anthony Bulger
FRENCH GIFTS
Eight Seasonal Gifts for the Francophiles in Your Life. By Tracy Kendrick
IDEAS
Editorial: Resilient Democracy. By Guy Sorman
La Révolution: Netflix Guillotines French History. By Guénola Pellen
David Bell: “Conservatives See the French Revolution as ‘Totalitarian,’ While the Socialist Left Still Admires It.” By Guy Sorman
Three Questions for Emmanuel de Boisset. By Guénola Pellen
FASHION
The Gentleman’s Style: Fashion by the Fire. By Julien Scavini
LIFESTYLE
The Musée du Grand Siècle: The Glory of France’s Golden Age. By Jean-Gabriel Fredet
BON APPETIT
Four Weeks That Shook American Gastronomy. By Clément Thiery
CULTURE
Adrienne Fidelin: Man Ray’s Forgotten Muse. By Clément Thiery
Raymond Depardon: Rural Portraits. By Jonas Cuénin
Georges Clemenceau: An Epistolarian in America. By Sophie Joubert
Abdellah Taïa: Listening to the Voices of Exile. By Sophie Joubert
LANGUAGE
The Observer: An American in an American Paris: Why the Clichés Live On. By Anthony Bulger
The Wordsmith: Calembours, anagrammes, palindromes… By Dominique Mataillet
UNKNOWN FRANCE
A Day Trip to Nancy. By Gabriel Bertrand
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