French Connection Message Board

So it may seem a bit odd that I created this group since I do not currently have any French books in my library. But I speak and read French... I am just slow to enter my books into my library. Too busy reading!

Salut !
Thanks, Jillybean, for creating this most needed group :-)
I'm the first native Frenchman in here, although now expatriated to North America.
It seems there are not many French people on the LT because my library is full of titles I share with no one... yet.
À plus et bienvenue à tous !

Salut à tous et toutes,

I'm a Brazilian doing my masters in France, trying to learn when to use which preposition. Same problem in English, by the way. But enough whining: I've been trying to read some contemporary French literature, and not much of it seems exciting. Michel Houellebecq was a mild disappointment (I only read Extension du domaine de la lutte); Frédéric Beigbeder was a huge one. So far, the only contemporary French author that really got to me was Emmanuel Carrère. Anyone else thinks the same, or the contrary? Any suggestion of good contemporary French writers?

Salut!

I'm a library science student in Knoxville, TN but as an undergraduate I majored in French and studied abroad in Angers, France for a semester. Sadly my French is not as good as it once was, but I'm hoping to remedy that at some point.

My two favorite French books are Le Petit Prince and Le Fantome de l'Opera.

Another library science grad student here! I was a history major and French minor as an undergrad. I went on study aboard in Paris in July '04 and had a blast!
Alors, bienvenue tout le monde!!

I was a French major in college but haven't done much with the language since, though I do still have a lot of French lit in my library from all the literature courses I took.

Not sure if I count. I'm a scientist turned freelance editor who somehow came up with an insatiable appetite for french history. I'm trying to learn french... someday. I am very interested in women in the french salons throughout history.

Coucou tous,

I am from Germany but I love reading in German and French.

If you are interested in French literature come and have a look at the following site:
http://www.agoradeslivres.com/

It resembles librarything at first sight, but it's in French...

@lukas Just like you I have trouble finding worthwhile French authors when it comes to "literary fiction", but Carrère's really good. You might try Nancy Huston, though. And if you like mysteries, they are really, really strong: Fred Vargas, Jean-Christophe Grangé, Thierry Jonquet... just too many to mention ;-)

I can't read French, or speak French, but I am a definite Francophile. I'm just condemned to read everything in translation. It all began with an obsession with Victor Hugo, but it's spread.

I've been maintaining Victor Hugo Central since 2000 (gavroche.org/vhugo)

I'm also a huge fan of constrained writing techniques, so Raymond Queneau and Georges Perec are on my to-read list. (Though, alas, in translation)

I can't read French, or speak French, but I am a definite Francophile. I'm just condemned to read everything in translation. It all began with an obsession with Victor Hugo, but it's spread.

I've been maintaining Victor Hugo Central since 2000 (gavroche.org/vhugo)

I'm also a huge fan of constrained writing techniques, so Raymond Queneau and Georges Perec are on my to-read list. (Though, alas, in translation)

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Hi gavroche,

Nice to have you here.

And speaking of Victor Hugo, I would like to read some more books by him (preferably novels). So which are the ones that would you recommend - apart from the Les Misérables et Notre Dame de Paris? Thanks!

He only wrote seven novels, so you're not too far from reading them all. Ninety-Three was his last, and some consider it his best. It is set in 1793.

I'd also recommend The Man Who Laughs. Ayn Rand considered it his best work, for what her opinion is worth.

Toilers of the Sea, Han of Iceland, and Bug Jargal complete his novels. Of those, Toilers of the Sea is the best. The other two are among his earliest works, and unfortunately, suffer for it.

I also highly recommend the novella, Last Day of a Condemned, and the short "true-crime" story, Claude Gueux. Written 30 years prior to Les Miserables, you can see some of his thoughts on the issues of Crime and Punishment beginning to form.

(He was most prolific with poetry. Unfortunately, poetry is more difficult to translate well than prose.)

I read Bug-Jargal for a class in college and thought it was interesting but I'll agree that the writing was definitely not up to his later standards.

Thanks for your input you two! Actually, I've just had a look at the summaries of his novels and I found the one of L'homme qui rit (The Man who laughs) to be very appealing. And then, Paul Claudel shares Ayn Rand's opininon regarding this book and I think that should be worth something ;-) I think I'll give it a try!

Hey lesezeichen, thanks for the advice. I'll try something by Nancy Huston. As for mystery, I read "Les rivières pourpres" by Jean-Christophe Grangé (touchstones not working) in Portuguese some years ago and didn't like it much, but I think it was the translator's fault. And I just read, and quite liked, Ceux qui vont mourir te saluent by Fred Vargas (I wrote a short review of it if anyone wants to check it out).

Ok, so in order to keep the discussions going and to fill in some touchstones ;-), here is some more.

Nancy Huston's most famous book is called L'Empreinte de l'ange (The mark of the angel), other favourites include Cantique des Plaines (Plainsong) et Instruments des Ténèbres (Instruments of Darkness).

By the way Nancy is an import from Canada and she writes both in English and French. And speaking of imports there are other successful writers whose native tongue is not French but who write in French all the same: Shan Sa, Agota Kristof, Andrei Makine. I find that awesome.

And getting back to Fred Vargas, I have recently learnt that she has been awarded the prestigeous international Dagger for Debout les Morts (The three evangelists):
http://www.thecwa.co.uk/daggers/2006/international.html
And the book that is generally considered to be her best is Pars vite et reviens tard (Have mercy on us all), followed by Sous les vents de Neptune. She is quite the star of French mystery. Other writers in this field who have not yet been mentioned are Maxime Chattam, Brigitte Aubert and Jean-Bernard Pouy. And then I've recently discovered a new name: Christine Adamo. She writes mysteries with a scientifical background. She's not been translated into English yet, but I think she's quite a future ahead of her and I have "dedicated" a post in my co-blog to her:
http://entrelacs.blogspot.com/2006/07/christine-adamo-la-nouvelle-fred.html

Well, that's all for now, sorry for being so long. Anyway, not all of the touchstones are working :(

And actually, just like lucas, I'd be interested in hearing about your favourite French or francophone writers - and especially the contemporary ones!

lucas, have you read anything by Patrick Modiano, Marie Darrieussecq or Amelie Nothomb? I've enjoyed books by all of these writers, particularly Modiano, the oldest and most accomplished of the three.

Anna Gavalda made a big splash when her volume of short stories, I wish someone were waiting for me somewhere, was first published and she carried that literary celebrity over to her debut novel, Je l'aimais. I'm not particularly impressed by her writing; while there was charm in some of her short stories, I thought the collection as whole was uneven, and 'Je l'aimais' was very poor. But there are readers who just seem to love her, so your mileage may vary.

Bonjour,
New one on board - francais de France mais expat depuis ... ! :-)
I do enjoy really this web idea that I am discovering and thinking about the "exception francaise" I realize that no one of these wonderful idea (flickr - Library thing - plaxo ... etc ...) is speaking french ...
Bon ...
;-)

Salut :)
I read and speak very little French I am embarrassed to say since I am Canadian and it's one of our National languages. I can understand some of it and read some of it. However I LOVE everything French. I am a wanna-be artist and would love more than anything to go to France and see the great master's works and walk the streets with my sketchbook stopping at cafe's to people watch.
Is there a greater author than Emile Zola? (Sorry, I'm biased, he's my favorite) I have read Les Miserables by Hugo and while I recognize it as a classic masterpiece I still love Zola more. Les Miserables read like a fable to me, don't know if it has the same feeling in French. Zola's realism and breathtaking descriptions of the underclasses is outstanding. Much more to my taste than Hugo. I am having a hard time getting my hands on some of the less popular works of Zola. The search continues :)

Salut à toi aussi :)
I quite agree with you, Emile Zola is one of my favourite classical authors in French literature. And you know what, somebody has proposed a challenge on the French bookcrossing Forum, reading all the 20 Rougon-Macquart books from September till June. No idea if I'll make it but I have ordered the first one La fortune des Rougon and I'll give it a try ;-)
Two questions for you (and to the others as well of course): what is your favourite Zola outside the RM? And what kind of books are you looking for and have they all been translated into English? Just curious.

Bonne lecture à tous!

Salut lesezeichen
Merci for telling me about the Bookcrossing challenge. I am going over there now to sign up for it. I can't believe someone posted a challenge to read these books which I want to read anyway :) I have read
L'Œuvre
Therese Raquin
L'Assommoir
Au Bonheur Des Dames
Germinal
and I am reading now
Nana and La Terre

I have some more but they are not good translations so I am looking for better translations before I read them and there are some I do not have at all.

This is the list I have been able to come up with so far of Zola's books. The ones with squiglys I have copies of but the ones without I do not and some of these are very hard to find in English as they were not the popular ones.
I haven't read many outside the RM series but Therese Raquin was outstanding. I can't imagine a better one but then I say that about them all until I read the next one LOL. I don't know if they have all been translated into English but I asume so as there has to be a market great enough to warrant it. If not, I will be protesting :) Glad to see fans of Zola here :)

Works


~* The Death of Olivier Becaille
~* The Miller's Daughter
~* Captain Burle
* Contes à Ninon (1864) - Stories for Ninon
* La confession de Claude (1865) - Claude's Confession
* Mes haines (1866)
* Mon salon (1866)
~* Thérère Raquin (1867)
* Edouart Manet (1867)
~* Les Mystères de Marseille (1867) - The Mysteries of Marseilles
* Madeleine Férat (1869)
* The Rougon-Macquart cycle (1871-93):

o La Fortune des Rougon (1871) (The Fortune of the Rougons) read | download
o La Curée (1874) (The Rush for the Spoil / The Quarry / The Kill)
o Le Ventre de Paris (1874) (The Belly of Paris / Savage Paris)
o La Conquête de Plassans (1874) (The Conquest of Plassans)
o La Faute de l'Abbé Mouret (1875) (The Sinful Priest / The Sin of Father Mouret)
o Son Excellence Eugène Rougon (1876) (His Excellency Eugène Rougon)
~o L'Assommoir (1877) (The Dram Shop / The Gin Palace / The Drunkard)
~o Une Page d'Amour (1878) (A Love Episode)
~o Nana (1880)
o Pot-Bouille (1882) (Restless House / The Boiling Pot / Pot Luck)
~o Au Bonheur des Dames (1883) (The Ladies' Paradise / The Ladies Delight)
o La Joie de vivre (1884) (How Jolly Life Is)
~o Germinal (1885)
~o L'Œuvre (1886) (The Masterpiece)
~o La Terre (1887) (The Soil / The Earth)
o Le Rêve (1888) (The Dream)
o La Bête Humaine (1890) (The Beast in Man)
o L'Argent (1891) (Money)
o La Débâcle (1892) (The Downfall)
o Le Docteur Pascal (1893) (Doctor Pascal)
* Nouveaux Contes à Ninon (1874)
* Théâtre (1878)
* La République Française et la Littérature (1879)
* Le Roman Expérimentale (1880)
* Les Soirées de Médan (1880)
* Les Romaciers Naturalistes (1881)
* Le Naturalisme au Théâtre (1881)
* Nos Auteurs Dramatiques (1881)
* Documents Littéraires, Études et Portraits, (1881)
~* NaÏs Micoulin (1884)
* L'Affaire Dreyfus: lettre à La Jeunesse (1887)
* Les Trois Villes:
Lourdes (1894);
Rome (1896);
Paris (1898)
* Nouvelle campagne (1897)
* Les Quatre Évangiles:
Fécondite (1899) (Fruitfulness);
Le Travail (1901) (Work);
La Vérité (1903) (Truth);
La Justice (unfinished)
* La Vérité en Marche (1901)

Short Stories:
~*Jacques Damour
~*Nantas
~*Coqueville
~*Angeline
~*Madam Neigeon
~*L'Attaque du Moulin (The Attack on the Mill) (1880)
~*The Innundation
~*Madame Neigeon

I have just come from the Bookcrossing French forum and signed up for RM challenge :)

You mentioned Andrei Makine as an import who writes in French so I wanted to comment that this is one of my favorite recently discovered authors. Awesome writing style and proving that great Russian authors are not all deceased :) I look forward to reading more of this person's work.

Also, I went to the video store yesterday and I found a copy of Les Miserables on video (French with English subtitles) and was able to purchase it for $5! They are selling off all their old VHS. I watched half of it last night and will watch the rest tonight, it's a long movie. It's very good if you haven't seen it yet. I have been wanting to see it but didn't get a copy 'till now. My boyfriend is French Canadian so he translates the parts I don't understand when I go in the kitchen for snacks and can't read the screen ;) Really enjoying it but it's very sad :(

Back to suggestions for Lucas -- although you're probably still wading through the pile recommended earlier.

I immediately thought you would enjoy Rouge Brésil by Jean-Christophe Rufin. It is a delightful historical novel set in Guanabara Bay in the early XVI century, before Rio de Janeiro was founded. It tells the imaginary story of life in the fortified French settlement in what is today known as Villegaignon's Island. I don't know much about the author, but he must have spent time in Rio because he captures like no one else I've read the particularities of the weather on the bay, and the lush greenery of the mountain forest. It is a beautiful book, in my opinion, reminiscent of other recent tales of the first European settlements in the New World.

Rouge Bresil was the first contemporary French work to thrill me. Like you, I haven't found much else that gives me the joy I found in books by earlier generations of authors -- Le Clezio, Tournier and Yourcenar top my list (beyond the classics, of course.)

Wow, it's great that you have signed up for the challenge. I am looking forward to it! And if anyone else is interested here is the thread:
http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/17/3682222

And thanks for the list of Zola's works, yes I have very good memories of Thérèse Raquin, but they are very vague as well, I'll have to reread it ... some day!

Funny that you know Makine, after all he's not *that* well known. I have discovered him thanks to a programme that used to pass on TV5 "Double je" presented by famous French literary critic Bernard Pivot. I love TV5.

Which version of Les Misérable are you currently watching? I think there must be dozens, the ones I remember are those starring Lino Ventura, Gerard Depardieu and Liam Neeson. Is it one of those?

And speaking of Frenchcanadiens, I spent a schoolyear in Québec years ago that's why I am also interested in French-canadien literature. Do you happen to know Gabrielle Roy (her most famous book is Bonheur d'occasion) and Yves Beauchemin, who has written Le Matou?

lesezeichen
I can't remember how I found out about Makine, maybe from Bookcloseouts. I try any Russian author I find and was pleasantly surprised with this one :)
The 'Les Miserable' that I have is a film by Claude Lelouch starring Jean-Paul Belmondo. It's another story about the Nazi's persecuting the Jews which parallels the Hugo novel. He used the themes of Hugo's novel to write an updated story of suffering, survival and hope. The Hugo novel is potrayed in the background. I will keep looking for other Les Miserables films and watch those as well. This is the first one I've seen. Perhaps they are not available with subtitles or perhaps I am looking in the wrong places ;)
I have heard of Gabriel Roy but not the other author. I haven't read any of her novels though. I'm afraid I have a prejudice against Canadian writers. There are very few that I like *hides face in shame* Perhaps I'll give her a try but only after I read the 650 books that I already have LOL

Ca va tout le monde...

I speak passable French and can read it pretty well, there are a number of French language books in my library (and I still have quite a few to add). I minored in French in college, and have been to Paris twice in the past year. I would love to go back!

As for authors, I'm pretty enamoured with the existenstialists and I'll read any French language book I can get my hands on (working slowly through Sartre's Le Mur at present). I'm most certainly a francophile, particularly regarding film. Nice to meet everyone.

Hi everyone,

I'm not French, but did my undergrad in history and wrote my thesis on the Algerian War, and am now working on a PhD in international relations studying the French military in sub-Saharan Africa. Just got back from a research trip to Paris a few weeks ago.

I don't read much literature (though I read quite a bit in French classes in high school and undergrad), since I have to read all sorts of non-fiction things for my thesis, but am currently reading Michel Debre's Memoires and a few other books on French colonial policy, and on French defense. Anyone else studied the Algerian War? That is still my personal historical obsession.

My first lessons about the Algerian War came from watching "The Battle of Algiers." Shortly after, I befriended the son of one of the original Algerian revolutionaries. My friend's father went on to occupy ministerial and diplomatic positions in the post-colonial government. I got to borrow his copy of Franz Fanon's Les Damnes de la Terre for a few weeks. As my friend entrusted me with the dog-eared copy, he cautioned me to guard it carefully, saying, "ce bouquin a vraiment fait la guerre!"

So there you have it. In case you did not know, Fanon was a major influence on the men who fought the Algerian Revolution!

Thanks for the suggestions, people. Darrieussecq and Nothomb are already looking at me from the pile next to my computer; my wife's Rouge Brésil is actually in, well, Brazil, so it's gonna take a while for me to read it. I've read Modiano (Villa Triste) and Gavalda's short stories, and they were ok, but they didn't give me that joy you get when you realize you've just discovered a new author whose books you simply must read.

I also have a suggeston for you: I just read Jean-Paul Dubois's Une vie française and really enjoyed it. It made me think of a French Philip Roth - Dubois even quotes from Portnoy's Complaint. And it's a nice way of learning a bit more about French history since the Second World War.

For those who like mistery fiction, you can add to Fred Vargas and Brigitte Aubert an other "dame du crime" : Maud Tabachnik. There would also be Maurice Dantec and Tonino Benacquista. Maurice Dantec has written both polar and fantasy. Benacquista has written some really good "romans noirs" and some interesting fiction books. Saga may be his best.

Not a French speaker either although my mothers family came from France (around Dieppe I think) and originally settled in Quebec. Anyway my favorite writer of all is Louis Ferdinand Celine--somewhat closely followed by Raymond Queneau but there are quite a number of others that I've read besides. For BookAddict I have read 18 of the 20 Rougon-Macquart books--the 2 missing are the first of the books 'The fortune of the Rougons' and the other is 'The joy of life' or 'How jolly life is'. Some of them go by multiple titles. Anyway having read 'Germinal' first I haven't been going in order. To be honest some of them are hit and miss. The best to me are Germinal, 'The Earth', 'The Debacle'--I think I've reviewed this one--'L'Assommoir', 'The Ladies Paradise', Le bete Humaine' and I've probably have missed one or two. Good places to find books online although you have to set up an account would be half.com (which is run by E-bay but is not an auction site--sellers set a price and compete against each other) and Addall which is more a book dealer's database. Again you'd have to set up an account but either of these sites would make it much easier to find the books you're looking for.
Anyway to go on from there I'd reccommend for more contemporary writers and readers who like literary thrillers Jean-Patrick Manchette, Jean Claude Izzo, Dominique Manotti. I also recently read and reviewed one by Thierry Jonquet which was quite interesting. Also liked Michel Houellebecq's 'Elementary Particles' but what's followed of his work is sometimes very good but not quite as good. Jean Echenoz I like a lot also. A little further back in time are J. M. G. Le Clezio, Claude Simon, Robert Pinget and Georges Perec although I think Le Clezio is still writing.
Not to take up too much space I'll make my final comment on Patrick Modiano and Marie Darrieussecq who were mentioned up above. Of the two I think Modiano the better writer although Darrieussecq is certainly worth trying out. Oh I fogot Lydie Salvayre. She's really good.

Je suis d'accord complètement avec marietherese...Modiano and Nothomb are fabulous! I love love love La métaphysique des tubes (The Character of Rain)! Since there isn't much of a market for contemporary French fiction here in the Midwest (although it was my major), I would love some recommendations. Is amazon.com good for ordering new French lit?

Hello! I am new on LibraryThing with about half my library made of books in French. You can check it out and comment if you want!

goddessladyj, you might want to check out Amazon.ca instead for ordering books in French, I am pretty sure they ship to the US as Amazon.com ships to Canada. I also love "La métaphysique des tubes". It's rare to have such an account from a baby, basically. I met Amélie Nothomb at a book signing once and she is very nice and low-key.

Hello and bonjour tout le monde,

I am new on LibraryThing too. I'm Swiss and a native-French speaker, living in Geneva, Switzerland.

Surprisingly, I don't read a lot of French or French-speaking authors and I am really looking forward to reading your recommendations and to finding out what non-native French speakers and/or aficionados like about French literature in general.

Bonjour a tous

I am not a native speaker, but have a BA in French, and, some while back, taught French. The current state of my fluency is so-so (came back to me like a pentacostal epiphany after several cocktails in Montmartre a few years back). I can, and still do read it fairly well. As with others I've read under this topic, I have not yet found much of interest in contemporary French literature (the place once dominated by French writers is now occupied, it seems, by Spanish-speaking authors of broader scope). I tend to read things these days I overlooked in university: Joris Huymans: A Rebours, Jean Richepin: Les Morts Bizzares, Georges Rodenbach: Bruges-la-Morte, Petrus Borel: Contes Immoraux, Jean Lorrain, Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, etc. I hope to get back into some conversation circle to get my confiance back... have also learned and forgotten German and Arabic.

Salut! I just started reading L'Institution de la Religion Chretienne by Jean Calvin. The version I borrowed from my library was published in 1936, and I'm finding it very interesting because there are a number of spellings that are no longer used. For example "noz" instead of "nos" and "loy" and "luy" instead of "loi" and "lui" just to name a few.

So you're reading a reprint of the original (which dates from the 16th century) instead of a modernised version.

I too always prefer the original, even if I have to look up some words or locutions every now and then.

Bonjour à toutes et à tous,

I've just discovered this group...
I'm the opposite of you all. I'm French, and now almost exclusively reading books in English. From time to time however, I re-discover French literature, and it then amazes me how some pages can be well written.

I've always been surprised that Georges Perec is not better known abroad, except in very private circles. I saw in this thread that some of you mentioned Perec. I would encourage those of you who are looking for something new, completely different, crazy, subtle (and what else?) to try La Vie mode d'emploi, sc. in English Life: A User's Manual.

I never read a book twice. If ever I had to re-read one (and just one), I'd choose La Vie mode d'emploi. It's really an unforgettable experience.

And of course another Perequian must: La Disparition,
translated as A Void. (But I read somewhere that the translation, although a véritable tour de force is a bit strange in places.)

Bonnes lectures !

Just French A-level, I'm afraid, circa 1976.

That was back in the day when British schools taught you to read and write in a foreign language, but not really to speak it. It's different now - so my children's teachers tell me, anyway.

So, here, I shouldn't be too bad. You should see me struggle in shops and restaurants though.

To the brazilian guy studying in Paris.Try Amelie Nothomb, with Stupeur et tremblement. To everyone: I am surprised no one mentions Les Liaisons dangereuses de Cholderlos de Laclos. If you've liked the film, you will love the original script:) Not difficult to read.

M. A. in French with Italian and Romanian as sidetrips along the path to the degree. || Studied Romansh and visited the Engadine Valley of Switzerland after learning of the affinities with Old French. || Have acquired some Haitian Creole and Spanish in subsequent years as a librarian serving these populations in of South Carolina. The Spanish rebels in many quirky ways (for example, it's "el error" vs. "l'erreur," feminine). Creole has practically no gender at all. || Visit Quebec to recharge the French cells of my brain from time to time. Don't see la Belle Province as a "substitute for France" but appreciate the unique Franco-American culture (and its overlaps with Anglo-American life). Return home with suitcases stuffed with "livres d'occasion" bought with just a poignée de sous.

Reading in French and speaking the language sparks up an entirely different side of my person. C'est bien vrai que "l'homme qui sait deux langues en vaut deux."

Bonjour à tous.

I just joined French Connection. My library, which I'm only starting to catalog on LibraryThing, contains many French titles collected over more than 30 years. I have a BA in French, still don't speak French very well, but over the years I've increased by reading and listening skills. I would like to say thanks to Pepys for the encouragement to read La Vie mode d'emploi. I actually did read the entire novel in French some years ago, but at that time my reading skill was less developed than it is now. I'm intending to return to Perec!

I think the Internet has done me a world of good in improving my French. I would recommend to anyone who is trying to fluently read French literature to also read current French journalism online with a good English-French dictionary at hand and also to listen to news programs in French. This has really helped me with serious French literature.

Glad to be here!

Salut tout le monde! I am also fond of the French. Just finished my BA and MA en français and I'm now in library school, focusing on rare books. I've had to pretty much eat/sleep/breathe French lit. for the past 7 years, so have developed some definite favorites: Robbe-Grillet, Dhôtel, Nerval, Rimbaud, Breton, Flaubert, Diderot, Montesquieu, Rabelais, etc. So glad there's a group! Oh, and I did enjoy Laclos' Les liaisons dangereuses...le libertinage is a fun subject. Anyone else interested in threads exclusively in French for practice?

Hello to the Francophile LT group.
I joined to seek for your help. I am cataloguing a book in French, Jean-Louis Ferrier's Paul Klee, a 2001 Talleri publication (also, from the 'net, known, I believe, as SA Finest/ Editions Pierre Tarreil). I have been searching the internet for the same item and. hopefully some background on the publisher. Would anyone based in France know anything about Talleri books, or this edition in particular? It is a gift to me by my sister when she travelled to France around 2002-2003. And, although neither of us speak French, she got the book anyway, as she knows Klee is one of my favorite artists.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you. Merci.

Hello, I am French but I have lived in the UK since 1995 and in the south west of England since 2001. I am a school librarian, with a keen interest in children's books.

Hi,

I think the publisher you are refering to is Editions Terrail.
It is not exactly well known (at least, not to me) but you may find some information on their website - French only apparently : www.editionsterrail.com

It also seems that your book is available on several websites including eBay.fr

Bonjour à tous !
Je viens de découvrir ce site à la faveur d'un clic sur un titre de livre dont je cherchais la référence. Dans mon exploration de votre site, j'ai d'ailleurs perdu de vue ce que je cherchais, il faudra que j'y revienne ;-)

Je suis surprise de voir que peu de messages sont écrits en français, et je suis extrêmement désolée de ne pas savoir écrire en anglais (je lis cette langue, même si parfois cela me demande un peu d'efforts, surtout pour le textes longs et peu aérés o_O). Je cherchais un endroit où me présenter, le groupe des francophones me paraissait tout indiqué.
Je ne sais pas encore quel sera l'usage que je ferai de ce site, je ne sais pas trop bien parler de mes lectures (en fait je n'ai jamais essayé !). Ce qui me paraît ressortir de mes 2 jours de papillonnage entre vos pages, c'est le côté incitatif de ce site : pleins, de références, de commentaires, c'est intéressant.

J'espère pouvoir y participer bientôt !

Bonjour Cristana et bienvenue sur LT !
Pour les présentations, c'était là ! mais pas de souci.
Nous sommes toujours contents d'accueillir de nouveaux membres francophones, encore trop rares sur LT...