Tag: france

Book Review

I Love Paris: Rufo Quintavalle’s Elucidative Portrait of Urban Life by Audrey Vinkenes

Life is a carnival of extremes. That much Rufo Quintavalle seems to be aware of, as he makes apparent in his latest poetry collection, I Love Paris. Not only regaling us with truthful and haunting visions, but also showing us that existence is rarely black and white. Particularly in Paris. Where it’s more like a rain-soaked panoply of hues muted in gray.  Masterfully tracing the undulating freedoms … Continue reading I Love Paris: Rufo Quintavalle’s Elucidative Portrait of Urban Life by Audrey Vinkenes

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The Opiate Books

The Opiate Books Presents: I Love Paris by Rufo Quintavalle

A city of romance, a city of trash, a city of tourists, a city perpetually burning. For those who can see and hear the poetry in Paris, no matter what state it’s in, Rufo Quintavalle’s incisive collection, which addresses subjects and towns well beyond la France, is the perfect élixir for enfants terribles and modèles de vertu alike. Enjoy un petit goût of the book via Spotify here. Buy I Love Paris at Barnes … Continue reading The Opiate Books Presents: I Love Paris by Rufo Quintavalle

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Uncategorized

Des scènes d’un match de foot by Xavier Jones

Le ventre de la Place de la Révolution s’était rempli par des masses parisiennes assoiffées de justice. Ce jour froid de janvier, ils boiraient chaud. Mais ce jour-là, la boisson serait épicée d’un ingrédient inconnu depuis l’ascension des premiers rois d’histoire: l’égalité. Le devoir ne s’est fait ni sans hésitation, ni avec un zèle sanguinaire non plus. La seule espèce de cérémonie, le roulement insolent … Continue reading Des scènes d’un match de foot by Xavier Jones

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Essay

Moi les hommes, je les déteste: A Confluence of Misogyny-Based Censorship in France

While France prides itself on being a nation of liberté, the unspoken caveat is that one usually needs to be a man to enjoy such liberté. The feelings of “retro-ness” that women in the country have long felt, whether about gender or racial discrimination (see: Virginie Despentes’ recent comment on the discrepancy between those affected by COVID-19), has reached such a fever pitch that they’ve … Continue reading Moi les hommes, je les déteste: A Confluence of Misogyny-Based Censorship in France

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Essay

Virginie Despentes Gives A Michel Houellebecq-Style Statement on Racism in France

Virginie Despentes and Michel Houellebecq are not really two French writers whose names go hand in hand. In fact, it’s highly likely that the former despises the latter for his unapologetic brand of chauvinism and the latter despises the former for her “feminist bullshit.” And yet, her recent statement on the problem of racism in an open letter called “Lettre adressée à mes amis blancs … Continue reading Virginie Despentes Gives A Michel Houellebecq-Style Statement on Racism in France

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Essay

Michel Houellebecq As-t-il Raison? Cette pandémie ne change rien? Enfin, probablement.

Waiting for the gradual process of “deconfinement” to occur, the polarizing French writer, Michel Houellebecq (a more hardcore enfant terrible of literature in terms of his unapologetic “white male” opinions than Bret Easton Ellis), at last decided to weigh in on the matter. The matter in particular being many people’s belief that as the world emerges slowly but surely after coronavirus, it will be an … Continue reading Michel Houellebecq As-t-il Raison? Cette pandémie ne change rien? Enfin, probablement.

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Language

Quelle Surprise: COVID-19 Slapped With Feminine Pronoun by Académie française

Despite the usage of “le” COVID-19 or “le” coronavirus in French conversation and news headlines ever since the plague became such a hot topic of discussion, the Académie française, never an institution to stay silent for very long when the French get too “buck wild” with their parlance, has spoken. And what they’ve said is this: the virus that everyone hates and has ruined all … Continue reading Quelle Surprise: COVID-19 Slapped With Feminine Pronoun by Académie française

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Criticism

Let It Flaubert

As touched on in our first issue, Gustave Flaubert’s genius lie in his ability to paint the most realist of pictures primarily because of the surreality of day-to-day living. While Madame Bovary is largely considered the pinnacle of his literary prowess, his entire canon of work offers something of the extraordinary. Flaubert, who grew up in Rouen but found himself in Paris after high school, had … Continue reading Let It Flaubert

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