Whole Lotta Frenchness: Festival of New French Writing at NYU

February 24, 11:10 PMNYU ExaminerCommarrah Bashar

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Photo courtesy of F.A.C.E.

If you're looking for some fromage and baguettes, go downstairs at Whole Foods, cause this ain't your maman's theme party, kid. You want real super French culture, you come to me.

...Ok, so I've been taking French for  a month, so don't come to me, but do come (venir) to the Festival of New French Writing kicking off this Thursday at Vanderbilt Hall, 7:00 PM. Never heard of V-hall? Neither have I, but worry not mes amis, I'm going to show up early dressed as Marie Antoinette to guide lost and weary travellers to the Tischman auditorium. 

If you believed the preceeding statment, please click here.

Sponsored by the Center for French Civilization & Culture, NYU, and a whole host of other French cultural resources and curated by (say it with an accent-it's fun) Olivier Barrot and NYU's own Tom Bishop, it's a can't miss event if you're an undergrad or grad French student, and a maybe-you-could-miss-it-but-you'd-be-a-loser-if-you-did-miss event if you aren't.

The Rundown:

Eleven major French writers, all translated into English, exemplifying the wide variety of styles and forms of contemporary French literary production, will come to New York from February 26 to 28 for two and a half days of one-on-one encounters with leading American writers, in dialogues hosted by well known American cultural critics.

    -frenchwritingfestival.com

Great French writers in conversation with great American writers with great moderators from both countries, all silmultaneously translated so that no one gets left out. It can't get more diplomatic than that. Who's in the in the line-up? Lots and lots but my personal pick for coolest in show is the writer who penned a little graphic novel called Persepolis. That's right, Marjane Satrapi is deigning to walk the grounds of NYU; fellow geeks everywhere rejoice. Let's make sure she stays away from Kimmel. Following at a very close second at making the dork in me salivate is Chantal Thomas, an 18th century specilaist who's publised essays as well as books on some major French heavy hitters like ma aforementioned amie Marie and the Marquis de Sade. Oh man, I just got chills.

How do you say chills in French?

Anywho, it's sure to be a blast, so je besta vous regarde there...Yeah, French.