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Original poster

Does anyone else enjoy reading French writers and literature?

31 replies

cassiatwenty · 27/04/2024 11:53

Hi friends,

(Inspired by @WhatWouldHopperDo and their thread on Korean and Japanese literarure )

I noticed people on here read Malraux, Zola, Flaubert, and even Pierre Choderlos de Laclos of Dangerous Liasons fame.

How about contemporary writers?

I read David Foenkinos Delicacy (+)
Delphine De Vigan Underground Time (+)
Françoise Sagan Bonjour Triestesse (+)
Duras The Lover (+)
Frédéric Beigbeder Love Lasts Three Years (+)

I couldn't really get into Valérie Perrin, Michel Houellebecq or Muriel Barbery.

What do you read? What did you like? What did you dislike? Any thoughts and/or recs?

Let me know because I'd like to know 😊 Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.

OP posts:
cassandre · 27/04/2024 18:37

Yes, I read a fair bit in French! Am watching this thread with interest.

I would also recommend Annie Ernaux (I love her!), and Daniel Pennac. I can't stand Houllebecq; as far as I'm concerned he's a racist, sexist arse.

I've recently read Maryse Conde, Tales from the Heart (vignettes from her childhood in Guadeloupe). It was great. I also love her literary masterpiece Crossing the Mangrove.

If you like fantasy, I would recommend the Mirror Visitor series by Christelle Dabos. I'm two volumes in and have really enjoyed it so far.

I would also recommend:
Edouard Louis, The End of Eddy (an autobiographical novel about growing up gay and working-class in northern France).
Leila Slimani, Lullaby and also The Country of Others
Vanessa Springora, Consent (a short, elegant memoir that can be linked to the #MeToo movement)
Delphine de Vigan, No and me

Amelie Nothomb (Belgian) and Marie Darieussecq are also interesting contemporary French writers. They're both very quirky and I have liked some of their works more than others.

The novels of Colette are classic and fun.

TonTonMacoute · 27/04/2024 18:21

I read quite a lot, but in French.

Favourite authors are Fred Vargas and Daniel Pennac. I also love Philippe Claudel but his books are very sad.

Ive read most of your list, loved the Sagan. Also couldn’t cope with Houellbecq or Virginie Despentes, who are big names, although controversial

For my French class I’m reading Francois Mauriac’s Therese Desqueyroux, which I would recommend, a portrayal of the stifled life of an intelligent woman in rural France in the 1920s.

We also read Annie Ernaux, recent winner of the Nobel Prize, but fascinating insight into 20th century French life.

newtb · 27/04/2024 17:33

I like Jean Christophe Grangé but his books are différent. Thrillers with a twist. The first one I read was about negative near death experiences which left me reading until 2am finding a safe place to put the book down.
Some are available in english others just in french.
I started reading in french with a pocket dictionary and books by Janine Boissard and Françoise Bourdin. Mindless chick lit but got me over the first hurdle.

Original poster
cassiatwenty · 27/04/2024 17:17

@BuffysBigSister I have been wanting to read 'Charlotte' -- if you enjoyed that then 'Delicacy' might be up your street. There's a film but I don't really recommend it.

@Correlation Just English unfortunately. I wish my French was better so I could read it in French. I know I'm missing out

OP posts:
Correlation · 27/04/2024 17:03

Hi OP, just curious, do you read in French or English translations? I'd like to read more French lit but my French is probably not good enough to get the most out of it.

BuffysBigSister · 27/04/2024 16:57

I've been trying to read a few books from Francophone Africa - Alain Mabanckou (The Death of Comrade President) and David Diop (At Night All Blood is Black). I have read Charlotte by Foenkinos and enjoyed it. I also just picked up recently Didier Decoin's The Office of Gardens and Ponds but not started yet.