Oct 232011
 
Can you please tell us a little more of French attitudes towards Robespierre?

  (asked by Larry from Australia)   Can you please tell us a little more of French attitudes towards Robespierre? Is he generally regarded as a bloodthirsty tyrant or a great liberator these days or is the answer more nuanced than that? There are surprisingly few books about him in English and not that many websites either, given his significance as a political figure. Those resources that do exist seem to give a very incomplete picture of him and it [Read the rest]

Oct 142011
 

  (asked by Jessica from Singapore)   Your blog is great! I was wondering whether you could recommend some books by contemporary French authors? I like reading translated novels from authors of a country. I think reading could help us understand the French way of thinking! Which authors are popular in France? And do you think any of them are translated into English? What English books are popular in France?