Laurel Zuckerman's Paris Weblog

Garry Trudeau's Shame

I loved Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury.

As a teenager I couldn't wait to read his comic strips and bought all his books.

I thought he was brilliant. Speaking truth to power.

Now, in a disturbing - and very sad - turn of events, this once admirable satirist has shamed himself and his profession.

In a speech delivered on the occasion of an award for lifetime achievement, Trudeau blamed the victims in the Charlie Hebdo attack, ignored the very real risk of death that satirists - as well as many other people - face from Islamists today, and advocated self-censorship to avoid offending people.

Paris Hidden Literary Gem: Maison de la Poésie

Where else in Paris can you listen to an intimate conversation, in English and in French, with Dave Eggers, the brilliant and generous editor, publisher, activist, educator, and author of such works as What is the What, Zeitoun, The Circle, Hologram for a King (recently translated into French) and, of course A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius?

Paris Writers know, of course, of the American Library in Paris, Shakespeares, the Irish Cultural Center, Carrs, the Abbey Bookshop, WICE, the Mona Bismarck and many other outstanding venues. But the Maison de la Poésie is, despite its excellence and fame within the French writers community, much less well known among English-speaking writers.

It is a place to discover.

After Dave Eggers, (wonderfully interviewed by Flore Vasseur and with outstanding translation by Marguerite Capelle), tonight the Maison de la Poésie will welcome Michael Cunningham, the author of the beautiful The Hours and The Snow Queen, which has recently been translated into French.

It promises to be another outstanding event.

Personally, I took out a membership (a very reasonable 20 euros) and plan to attend every event I can.

Adding to the pleasure, wine is for sale by the glass in the foyer, and the seats of the auditorium are comfortable.  

Maison de la Poésie

Passage Molière
157, rue Saint-Martin - 75003 Paris
M° Rambuteau - RER Les Halles

Infos et réservations

tél : 01 44 54 53 00
du mardi au samedi de 15h à 18h

[email protected]

March Literary Events in Paris

Paris Writers News is gearing up for a new season of literary events and interviews with authors.

In the meantime, for information about what's on in Paris, we recommend:

• Jen Dick's excellent listing of literary events and workshops for March,

http://parisreadingsmonthlylisting.blogspot.fr/2015/02/literary-paris-calendar-march2015-part.html

Copenhagen: five weeks after Paris and Vincennes

In the heart of Europe, cartoonists, free speech advocates and Jews are under attack again. Our hearts are with the people of Denmark, and all who struggle to defend the values of a democratic, open, and tolerant society.

Vicki Lesage on That's Paris: An Anthology of Life, Love and Sarcasm in the City of Light

We talk with author Vicki Lesage about the making of the just-released anthology: That's Paris: An Anthology of Life, Love and Sarcasm in the City of Light. 

 

A Paris Writers News interview

Killed over a parking space: tragically common in the USA

It is only natural that people are outraged at the idea that three young people can be murdered for something as stupid as a parking space. And yet, a quick Google search reveals this is tragically common in America.

Literary events, talks, workshops and submissions in Paris Feb 2015

Paris Writers News is taking a little break this month, but writer events, classes, interviews with authors and new books in Paris have never been more exciting.

For information about what's on in Paris, we recommend:

• Jen Dick's outstanding event list,

http://parisreadingsmonthlylisting.blogspot.com/2015/01/literary-paris-february-2015.html

Revenge of the Twitterverse: Best Nationwide "Because I Died" Tweets

In these dark times, a big thanks to Nationwide for inviting us to laugh at their dreadful Superbowl ad.

Lizzie Harwood on Gone Girls and Complicated Women

Lizzie Harwood, the talented Paris writer and editor originally from New Zealand, knows something about the expat life. Before settling down to raise a family in Paris she worked in many unusual places, the kind of places that, in challenging identity, can push a girl "beyond the pale".  In her highly entertaining debut, Triumph: Collected Stories of Gone Girls and Complicated Women, Lizzie draws inspiration from this experience to the delight of readers.

A talk with Lizzie Harwood, author of Triumph: Collected Stories of Gone Girls and Complicated Women

a Paris Writers News interview

Coffee to Float a Book: a Writer Reflects on National Novel Writing Month

reflections on NaNoWriMo by Mary Ellen Gallagher