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…
June 2022
French Lands Adrift in the Ocean
Some 3 million people live in French overseas territories – islands like Guadeloupe, Martinique, Polynesia, New Caledonia, Réunion, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon, remnants of France’s colonial empire. We explore these distant lands that are regularly pushing for independence. Also in this issue, meet the French community of Hawaii, read about Alma de Bretteville Spreckels – the “great-grandmother of San Francisco” and a friend of Rodin – and discover our interview with U.S. historian Stephen Bourque on the “the Allied war against France” during the Normandy landings. Lastly, we bring you the story of Disneyland Paris, which revived fears of Americanization in France when it opened 30 years ago.
Featured Articles
FRENCH CONNECTION
HAWAII
A French Community on the Edge of the World
In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, some 3,000 French people have made the American archipelago of Hawaii their home. They live in harmony with the ocean and mostly rely on tourism, a sector which is now making a comeback after the Covid-19 crisis and 18 months of scarcity.
HERITAGE
CHANTILLY
A Masterpiece Under Threat
The Chantilly estate is a jewel in the French heritage crown. It is home to a famous racetrack, a horse museum, a 15,000-acre forest, 15 châteaux and residences, and the Musée Condé, which houses the second largest collection of ancient art in France after the Louvre. Sublime but struggling with debt, it is now looking for investments in keeping with its splendor.
PERSPECTIVES
INSULARITY
What Do French Overseas Territories Want?
The protests in France’s overseas territories that regularly make the news should not deceive anyone. Today, the push for independence has petered out.
UNKNOWN FRANCE
GUÉDELON
Building a Castle... by Hand!
Deep in the forests of Burgundy, a team of artisans is hard at work on a construction project unlike any other: to build a castle using only 13th-century tools! Twenty-five years in the making, this work in progress is now the most visited tourist destination in the Yonne département.
Table of contents
FROM THE NEWSDESK
Le Troisième Tour: The Importance of Parliamentary Elections in France. By Anthony Bulger
COME ON OUT
French Cultural Events in North America. By Tracy Kendrick
EDITORIAL
Winds of Change over Democracy. By Guy Sorman
INTERVIEW
Stephen Bourque: American Bombs Falling on France. By Guy Sorman
THE OBSERVER
Americanization Is Back (Did It Ever Go Away?) By Anthony Bulger
DIPTYCH ICONS
Le Château de Rastignac/The White House. By Clément Thiery
FRENCH CONNECTION
Hawaii’s French Community on the Edge of the World. By Benoît Georges
HERITAGE
Chantilly, a Masterpiece Under Threat. By Jean-Gabriel Fredet
BEYOND THE SEA
Alma de Bretteville Spreckels: The Art of Extravagance. By Jérôme Kagan
PERSPECTIVES
What Do French Overseas Territories Want? By Dominique Mataillet
ALBERTINE DIARIES
Alain Gomis: In the Footsteps of Thelonious Monk in the United States. By Clément Thiery
BON APPÉTIT
Frank Adrian Barron, the American “Cake Boy” in Paris. By Gabriel Bertrand
Recipe: Rhubarb Pie
A CANVAS, AN ARTIST
Pierre Alechinsky, Featherweight. By Tracy Kendrick
FRENCH AMERICA
Isle Royale National Park, Michigan. By Anthony Lacoudre
PORTFOLIO
Documenting the Corsican Soul. By Kamil Zihnioglu
ICONIC
The Striped Sweater. By Guénola Pellen
CINEMA
Lost Illusions: Fake News in the Time of Balzac. By Guénola Pellen
BOOK REVIEW
Camille Laurens: I, You, She. By Sophie Joubert
THE WORDSMITH
Resilience in the Face of… Anything. By Dominique Mataillet
UNKNOWN FRANCE
Guédelon: Building a Castle… by Hand! By Gabriel Bertrand
© Babak Tafreshi
