If you haven’t read it already, run out right away and find yourself a copy of Petite Anglaise
Where it may not have cured my writing rut, it has got me reading again. Another big thank you to Kelsey at Spiegel & Grau for the gift.
Last night I attended my second Paris Soirée, where author Scott Haine presented his new book, “Culture and Customs of France,” and touched on the Time magazine article, “The Death of French Culture,” which has caused a bit of stir here in France. It’s obviously difficult to get into an in-depth discussion about as broad a topic as French culture in the thirty minutes allotted to the speaker after everyone has boozed and schmoozed and eaten and presented themselves. Scott did manage to fit a lot of ideas into that small window, starting with a basic definition of culture as, “communication,” and going on to further illustrate culture’s evolution, and it’s succession of power, so to speak, which I thought both brilliant and poignant. He described culture, and culture’s focus as moving from the patron (in a day when paintings and other works were commissioned for the glory of the “patron”), to the artist (starting in the Renaissance period when the artist gains notoriety and art is done for the sake of art), to what we are seeing more and more in contemporary life, the public, where everyone wants to participate and can.
Great topics that tie in nicely and are delicious food for conversation when considering whether the French Exception has a future in a world with such a demanding global public….won’t either try to do a dissertation here as I am far from any kind of expert, but do encourage anyone interested to read the Time magazine article as well as Scott’s book, and another thumbs up for Patricia Laplante-Collins who organizes these events.