Paris in July 2022: Day 13: Le 14 juillet

Paris in July 2022
#ParisinJuly
Co-hosted by Readerbuzz and Thyme For Tea

Day 13
Le 14 juillet

Bonne fête du 14 juillet !
Yes, today is Bastille Day, as we say in English, though in French we just call it Le 14 juillet, just like we celebrate the 4th of July in the US.

Are you going to do anything special today?
My husband loves watching the military parade, but I am stuck with 5 hours of French classes today, so we definitely cannot watch it live. You can watch it online with a VPN, live or as replay.
Maybe tomorrow instead for us.
For tonight, I’ll cook some coq au vin and home made fries (in the oven).
And after that, we will watch the Replay of the Classical music concert given at 9pm at the foot of la Tour Eiffel.
And after the concert, the huge fireworks, that lasts about 30 minutes.

I’m currently rereading Le Grand Meaulnes, by Alain-Fournier, with a little group of readers on Discord. So I’ll read a few chapters and add my notes as well.
This morning, I’ll be talking about two other French books with some of my students:
about a collection of short stories by Maupassant that we just finished reading with a student,
and about the first half of L’Écluse numéro 1, #18 in the Maigret series by Georges Simenon, that I have been reading with another student.
So all in all, a very French day.

Bonne fête à tous !

IS JULY 14TH AN IMPORTANT DAY FOR YOU?
DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL RITUAL ON THAT DAY?

19 thoughts on “Paris in July 2022: Day 13: Le 14 juillet”

Happy 14th of July! I hope you enjoy the parade when you get around to watching it. All the books on your list figure in my too-ambitious plans for Paris reading, but I don’t know if I’ll get to them. Especially to trying to understand the popularity of Le Grand Meaulnes.

best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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WordsAndPeace on July 15, 2022 at 1:21 pm said:

Je crois que c’est le romantisme du GM qui l’a rendu si populaire. Et le fait qu’il était au programme de lecture des collèges

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L’écluse numero 1 is a wonderful Maigret, with a strange atmosphere. I think Simenon is a very great writer, who even though he is very popular and has often been adapted to the cinema, is not sufficiently recognized. He is a bit despised by the intellectual elites, even though he is a great stylist. He is probably reproached for having written too many crime novels. There are some pure masterpieces among the so-called “hard-boiled novels” that do not feature Maigret. He has a formidable talent for creating uneasiness and a sticky, unhealthy atmosphere. I love this author. He is particularly excellent in the description of the rural petty bourgeoisie or that of the provincial cities.

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WordsAndPeace on July 15, 2022 at 1:08 pm said:

Yes, he is masterful at creating ambiance. I haven’t read any yet beside his Maigret series, I really need to venture there. Any specific recommendation? Je suis française, tu peux me donner le titre en français

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