By Annerin Long
French literature has a long and rich history, dating back to the Song of Roland in the 11th and 12th centuries to modern day masters, including two recipients of the Nobel Prize for Lieterature in the 21st century alone (J.M.G. le Clézio in 2008 and Patrick Modiano in 2014). Today, Alliance Française de Jackson members are closing out le Mois de la Francophonie with a few of their favorite novels from French authors.
One of my all-time favorite books–French or not–is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I read this in my pre-Francophile days, but the great adventure, even if sometimes predictable, has always stayed with me and in my opinion, has rightfully earned its place among the great classics.
Wandering Star by le Clézio is a powerful book set during World War II and the years immediately after and tells the story of two young girls whose paths briefly cross, each impacting the other for years to come. This is a book of survival and change and growth in the middle of often unthinkable circumstances.
Non-fiction books from Peter Mayle and Marcel Pagnol have been mentioned in other Francophile Friday editions. Jeanne Cook also lists these authors among her favorites in fiction. Mayle’s Chasing Cézanne takes readers on a mystery through the jet-setter, art-collector world, while Pagnol’s Jean de Florette and Manon of the Springs have been described as Greek tragedy set in Provence.
If you enjoy reading books set in France, regardless of the author’s nationality, Carl Cerco suggests Chocolat (a best-selling book before the movie, and aren’t the books always better?) by Joanne Harris, in which newcomer-to-town Vianne Rocher turns the town upside down with her magical boxes of chocolate. 
Two recent books that completely captured me were All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr), a World War II tale told from two perspectives. Perhaps the twist of the story is predictable, but this didn’t detract from the suspense. Paris in the Present Tense (Mark Helprin; sadly, I missed his visit to Lemuria last year) is likewise beautifully written, telling the story of widower Jules Lacour, a septuagenarian who must face his past and make difficult decisions for the future, set in a modern Paris with both its good and bad.
I’m going to finish today with a book (or rather, seven) that I confess I have not read all the way through: Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time. I’m attempting to read this one in French, so it’s slow going for this seven-volume work. The best way to tackle this 20th century masterpiece? With madeleines, of course (there is a great recipe in Ladurée’s Sucré, featured in the first Francophile Friday post.
Other recommendations
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
- The Stranger by Albert Camus
About the Alliance Française de Jackson
The Alliance Française de Jackson is a non-profit organization with the mission of promoting French language and culture in the Metro Jackson area. This is done through language classes and other educational programs, cultural programming, and special events centered around French celebrations. Many of our members speak French, but it is not a requirement, and we welcome all who love the language and cultures of the Francophone world.
Comments are closed.