Summary Kamouraska, novel by Anne Hébert (1970), is a psychological gothic romance based on an actual murder committed in 1839 in the village of Kamouraska, Quebec, by a female ancestor of the author. The action takes place in Elizabeth’s mind on the night of her second husband’s impending death, transmuting the facts surrounding an earlier… Read More

Plot summary Djiraël lives in Sarcelles, France. Accustomed to the permanent company of his friends, to their discussions about girls and designer clothes. He finds himself helpless when it arrives in Senegal, his native country, for his father burial. “Sarcelles Dakar” is an initiatory novel that relates the change of scene. An initiatory return trip. Résumé Djiraël habite à Sarcelles.… Read More

Summary The Ladies’ Paradise is a compelling story of ambition and love set against the backdrop of the spectacular rise of the department store in 1860s Paris. Octave Mouret is a business genius who transforms a modest draper’s shop into a hugely successful retail enterprise, masterfully exploiting the desires of his female customers and ruining… Read More

Summary August 30, 1975: the day fifteen-year-old Nola Kellergan is glimpsed fleeing through the woods, never to be heard from again; the day Somerset, New Hampshire, lost its innocence. Thirty-three years later, Marcus Goldman, a successful young novelist, visits Somerset to see his mentor, Harry Quebert, one of the country’s most respected writers, and to… Read More

Simone de Beauvoir “La fatalité triomphe dès que l’on croit en elle.” “Fatality prevails when one believes in it.”   Simone de Beauvoir was born on January 9, 1908, in Paris, France. When she was 21, de Beauvoir met Jean-Paul Sartre, forming a partnership and romance that would shape her life and philosophical beliefs. De… Read More

Charles Taylor “Découvrir ma propre identité ne signifie pas que j’y travaille dans l’isolement, mais que je la négocie à travers le dialogue, en partie ouvert, en partie avec moi-même, avec les autres.” “Discovering my own identity doesn’t mean that I work it out in isolation, but that I negotiate it through dialogue, partly overt, partly… Read More

Henri-Frédéric Amiel “Mille choses avancent ; neuf cent quatre-vingt-dix-neuf reculent : c’est là le progrès.” “A thousand things advance; nine hundred and ninety nine retreat; that is progress.”   Henri-Frédéric Amiel is a Swiss philosopher, poet, and critic (September 27, 1821–May 11, 1881). The Journal Intime of Henri-Frédéric Amiel, originally published in 1882 and now… Read More

Amadou Hampâté Bâ “When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground.” « Quand un vieillard meurt, c’est une bibliothèque qui brûle ».   Amadou Hampâté Bâ (1900-1991) was a well-known Malian diplomat and author of the last half of the twentieth century. His fiction and non-fiction books in French are widely respected as sources… Read More

Gumbo requires more than 20 ingredients and is cooked for a minimum of three hours, and often simmers all day. In order to keep it easy, here is a simpler version of the recipe, called Chicken-Andouille Gumbo with Roasted Potatoes. Yield: Makes 10 cups Ingredients: 1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 1/2 cup peanut… Read More

The “d” gets contracted to the word “œuvre” due to the French vowel rule, but you might already know that! Why the contraction? Well here’s a little explanation: Consonant words such as de, du, le, la, que, je, me, te, ne, se, or ce get contracted with an apostrophe and lose their end vowels when the… Read More

The weird phenomenon of “déjà vu” in French has a different way of spelling it (with a hyphen), déjà-vu. There is no difference in pronunciation with the “déjà vu” meaning “having re-seen” (a person, place or things), which is why context is always key! As-tu déjà vu ce film ? (Have you “already seen” this film?) J’ai eu un sentiment déjà-vu. (I… Read More

The “first showing” of a movie or spectacle, how much do we love those? They’re affordable and place you on top of a movie critic’s (critiques, another French word) list. On the French side, matinée, like “matin,” means “morning,” as well as the “entire morning” (from sunrise to noon). While the French speakers might also have their matinée movie… Read More

You shout “Encore! Encore! Encore!” while giving a standing ovation, raising both of your hands clasped together to make a single fist, shaking it from left to right. A phrase English speakers use after an impeccable performance. So good, that you need more, encore! For English speakers encore is only related to show biz, but in… Read More

Potpourri translated into English is “rotten pot.” In French it is spelled pot-pourri or pot pourri, and has the same meaning as its English counterpart: fragranced dried flower, fruits and herbs used to get rid of bad odors. Some, mostly women, place pouches of potpourri in their drawers and “armoires” (another French word) to keep clothes smelling… Read More

Che Malambo is coming to Vancouver, May 20 2016 at the Vogue Theatre! This powerhouse all-male company of 14 men celebrates the unique South American cowboy tradition of the gaucho in a wonderfully wild spectacle of drumming and foot stomping dance, choreographed by French national, Gilles Brinas. A renowned dancer and choreographer, Brinas, performed with… Read More

Who got it right?

The French-speaking countries in the world Source: wikipedia Where are the French speakers in the world? Estimation in 2014 Source: Organisation internationale de la francophonie

Serves 4 people 1 litre tea 4 spoon sugar 20 cl oranges Preparation Make the recipe in a saucepan. Take a liter of water. Cut a small orange in ten cubes that you put in the water. Put in water 4 tablespoons of white sugar. Heat the water and once it is boiling let it heat by little broth… Read More

Serves 6 people 1 vanilla pod 1 cinnamon stick 1 litre milk 4 eggs 1 lime zest 100 gr sugar Preparation Make the recipe in a saucepan. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise. Put in a pan with the milk, cinnamon stick, lemon peel and sugar cane. Bring everything to the limit of boiling, mixing MUST NOT boil. Remove the… Read More

Serves 6 people 1.5 litres water 3 lemons 50 gr sugar 1 orange Preparation Make the recipe in a saucepan. Heat water in a kettle or saucepan. Cut the ends of two ripe lemons, then cut into slices not too thick. In a bowl, pour the sugar and lemon slices. Mix well and pour hot water. Infuse… Read More

Serves 4 people 300 grams chocolate 30 cl water 1 egg yolk Preparation Make the recipe in a saucepan. Boil water and chocolate over low heat. Place the egg yolk in the pan and stir. Suggestion: it is best done the day before. Instead of one egg yolk, one can use the egg white whipped.  

Maple taffy (tire d’érable in French-speaking Canada) is a sugar candy made by boiling maple sap past the point where it would form maple syrup but not so long that it becomes maple butter or maple sugar. It is part of traditional culture in Quebec, Eastern Ontario, New Brunswick and northern New England. In these… Read More

Poutine is a Canadian dish made of french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. It first appeared in 1950s rural Québec snack bars and was widely popularized across Canada and beyond in the 1990s. Poutine may be found everywhere from fine dining menus at top restaurants to fast-food chains including McDonald’s and Burger King.… Read More

Tourtière is a double-crusted meat pie that is likely named for a shallow pie dish still used for cooking and serving tourtes (pies) in France. The ground or chopped filling usually includes pork, and is sometimes mixed with other meats, including local game, such as rabbit, pheasant or moose. It is famously served as part of… Read More