Every month in France-Amérique,
discover the best of French and Francophone culture in the United States and Canada.
Analysis of French-American news • French cultural events in the United States and Canada • Interviews with leading intellectuals • Fashion tips • Traditional and contemporary recipes • Reports from across the United States and Canada • Authors’ perspectives on North 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 2022
Inventing Paris
The Paris we love was born in the late 19th century – an elaborate staging engineered by Napoleon III and Baron Haussmann. Read our interview with Esther da Costa Meyer, professor of art and archeology at Princeton, who invites us to see the French capital in a new light. Also in this issue: As part of World AIDS Day on December 1, read about the French-American race to discover HIV; discover how Jean-Luc Godard, who passed away in September, is still influencing American filmmakers; and pay a visit to the Fouquet’s, the chic Parisian brasserie and hotel that just opened in Manhattan!
Featured Articles
THE OBSERVER
LESSONS WELL-WORTH THE CHEESE
On Camembert, Culture, and Cleanliness
For months, an epic battle has been raging in France between artisan and industrial cheesemakers over one of the world’s most famous cheeses, Camembert – that disk of creamy, ivory-colored delight which, according to the poet Léon-Paul Fargue, smells of God’s feet.
By Anthony Bulger
BUSINESS
FROM PARIS TO TRIBECA
The Fouquet's World Tour
You no longer need to stroll along the Champs-Elysées to eat or sleep at the Fouquet’s. The legendary Parisian brasserie has just opened its first American hotel in Lower Manhattan, and is now wooing the fashion and film elite.
By Benoît Georges
CINEMA
GODARD IS NOT DEAD
(For American Filmmakers)
Richard Brody must be Jean-Luc Godard’s biggest fan in the United States. The Francophile film critic and New Yorker writer has published a number of articles about his work, as well as a landmark biography. Two months after the passing of the French-Swiss director, we asked him about Godard’s 70-year career, his enduring popularity in the United States, and the time the two met in Switzerland.
By Pauline Guedj
SCIENCE
HIV
A Hotly Contested French-American Discovery
As part of World AIDS Day on December 1, France-Amérique is looking back over the years of transatlantic cooperation and competition that led to the discovery of HIV. This virus continues to kill people – last year alone, some 650,000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses.
By Vincent Dozol
Table of contents
FROM THE NEWSDESK
Going Nuclear: The Pros and Cons of the Quarante-Neuf-Trois. By Anthony Bulger
COME ON OUT
French Cultural Events in North America. By Tracy Kendrick
EDITORIAL
The Ups and Downs of French-American Friendship. By Guy Sorman
INTERVIEW
Esther da Costa Meyer: Inventing Paris. By Guy Sorman
THE OBSERVER
On Camembert, Culture, and Cleanliness: Lessons Well-Worth the Cheese. By Anthony Bulger
BUSINESS
The Fouquet’s World Tour, from Paris to Tribeca. By Benoît Georges
CINEMA
For American Filmmakers, Godard Is Not Dead. By Pauline Guedj
ALBERTINE DIARIES
Does Creativity Give Astronauts an Edge? By Caroline Gueye
BON APPÉTIT
Rebekah Peppler: The American Food Writer in Paris, Reinvented. By Caitlin Raux Gunther
Recipe: Oysters on the Rocks
LUXURY
Chapal, America Under the Skin. By Clément Thiery
FRENCH AMERICA
New Rochelle, New York. By Anthony Lacoudre
SCIENCE
GIFT IDEAS
Five Coffee-Table Books for Francophiles. By Clément Thiery
BOOKS
Camille de Toledo: The Lost Dreams of Europe and America. By Sophie Joubert
THE WORDSMITH
Francocide, from Fantasy to Reality. By Dominique Mataillet
© Fouquet’s New York