Famous French poet Arthur Rimbaud wrote Le Dormeur du Val when he was just 16, possibly based on his very real experiences of travel across France during the Franco-Prussian War
Journalist, travel writer, and war poet, Edmund Blunden’s career was shaped by his experiences on the front in World War I from 1916 to 1918. The following poem gives us an idea of what it…
Art lovers are spoilt for choice in our beautiful region so which exhibions to visit? P-O writer, Ellen Turner Hall’s passion for art leads her all over the P-O, visiting exhibitions featuring some incredible artists, both living and long-departed, some famous, others waiting in the wings.
Book Club: What can you say when a bright and beautiful little girl loses the battle against that most treacherous of enemies – cancer? How do you find the words? ‘Alice et les Petits Guerriers’ is a sensitive and thought provoking book written by her Dad, Olivier, charting her struggle – and that of her family in Argelès – on this tragic journey.
Book Club: Secret Agent, Unsung Hero: The Valour of Bruce Dowding. This biography, researched over decades, is written by Bruce’s nephew, Peter, to honour Bruce and the millions who gave their lives for our safety.
Test your French with an extract from a classic, autumnal poem by Jacques Prévert
Like Wordsworth, Verlaine can say things that make the reader blush, but at his best he Is concise, simple and immediate in his impact. He could make the simple inexpressibly sad.
Du Bellay and his contemporaries, the Pléiade, frequently made use of diminutives (violettes, fleurettes, vermeillettes, oeillettes) to add charm to their poems.
In 2012, Albert Camus, Nobel prize winner and author of some of the greats of French literature, went under scrutiny for a photo in which he was smoking a cigarette.
Actions speak louder than words so good luck with this French idioms quiz, look out for the next one coming soon…and break a leg!