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 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…

September 2023

The Little Prince in America

Did you know the Little Prince was born in New York? Antoine de Saint-Exupéry had found refuge in the United States during World War II when he published his best-selling novella, 80 years ago. This is our cover story this September. Also in this issue, find out why you should read The Little Prince in the original French; discover our interview with fashion queen Diane von Fürstenberg, whose iconic take on the wrap dress is turning 50; and meet Jean-Christophe Bouvet, the French actor who plays the extravagant designer Pierre Cadault in Emily in Paris!

Featured Articles

THE OBSERVER

A PLEA

for Le Petit Prince

Eighty years after it first appeared in print, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic novella merits a re-read. Preferably in French. Our columnist dwells on how well, or otherwise, the book has been rendered into other languages.

By Anthony Bulger

BUSINESS

SWAINE

Hollywood’s Temple of Luxury Accessories

What do Harrison Ford’s hat in the latest Indiana Jones and Gene Kelly’s umbrella in Singin’ in the Rain have in common? Swaine London! This brand has specialized in luxury goods for more than 270 years and was recently acquired by the French group Chargeurs.

By Clément Thiery

ANNIVERSARY

NEW YORK CITY

The Little Prince’s Other Planet

The Little Prince is from Asteroid B 612, but it was in New York City that he sprang from the imagination of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French author and aviator who lived in the U.S. during World War II. To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the tiny hero’s creation, a statue will be unveiled opposite Central Park in mid-September.

By Clément Thiery

THE BRIEF

DIANE VON FÜRSTENBERG

“The Wrap Dress Made Me an Independent Woman”

Fifty years ago, a young Belgian fashion designer living in the United States presented her T72 model to the press. The piece – a modern revisit of the wrap dresses worn in the 1930s – became a symbol of female liberation and helped to build Diane von Fürstenberg’s reputation.

By Kyra Alessandrini

Table of contents

FROM THE NEWSDESK

Anger at Plans to Relocate les Bouquinistes During the 2024 Paris Olympics. By Anthony Bulger

COME ON OUT

French Cultural Events in North America. By Tracy Kendrick

EDITORIAL

Tocqueville and Illiberalism. By Guy Sorman

INTERVIEW

Olivier Coste: Why There Is No French Google. By Guy Sorman

THE OBSERVER

A Plea for Le Petit Prince: Why Some Books Should Be Read in the Original. By Anthony Bulger

BUSINESS

Swaine, Hollywood’s Temple of Luxury Accessories. By Clément Thiery

ICON

Jean-Christophe Bouvet: “There Is Something of Myself in Pierre Cadault.” By Jérôme Kagan

CAMPUS

Sciences Po, the Parisian School Teaching Future American Leaders. By Jean-Gabriel Fredet

ANNIVERSARY

New York City, the Little Prince’s Other Planet. By Clément Thiery

THE BRIEF

Diane von Fürstenberg: “The Wrap Dress Made Me an Independent Woman.” By Kyra Alessandrini

EDUCATION

Gladys Francis: Connecting the Caribbean and America. By Hélène Vissière

HISTORY

New York Fashion Week’s Transatlantic Heritage. By Diane de Vignemont

BOOKS

Anne Serre: Writing as a Game of Cards. By Sophie Joubert

BOOK REVIEW

Annie Ernaux: The Young Man, a Book within Another. By Sophie Joubert

THE WORDSMITH

La Rentrée: A Hard Fall. By Dominique Mataillet

© Morgan Library & Museum