Brighton & Hove French Circle

With Ugo Tognazzi and Meichel Serrault

French singer / songwriter Lo Polidoro and accordionist Nigel Broderick have performed on stage all over the south of England, and far beyond. This concert is live, private, via Zoom : well-known or forgotten or original French songs, in a programme devised by this talented duo just for the pleasure of our Circle.

This talk will look at the picture of France circa 1870 painted by Alphonse Daudet in his Contes du lundi, together with the memorable characters that fill it. However, Daudet was not a historian but a novelist: the events that form the backdrop to his stories, such as the Franco-Prussian war and the siege of Paris, are therefore seen from his individual perspective, showing us aspects of history unknown to historians—aspects which, although imagined, contain their own truth.

This chic seaside resort 70 km south of Calais, le Touquet has gained a worldwide reputation since the end of the 19th century, as a fashionable town and centre of elegance. Impressive villas, a casino, luxury hotels attract visitors from all over the world. This presentation will aim to show its past and present splendour.

Charles de Gaulle is a national hero, like Joan of Arc and Napoleon.
He has left an indelible stamp on the history of France of the 20th century. Leader of the Free French after the 1940 defeat, founder of the 5th Republic, his destiny is also deeply linked to the history of the United Kingdom, where he took refuge in 1940. Facing him, a no less eminent figure : Winston Churchill.

Later, as head of State, he opposed the entry of the United Kingdom into what was then the Common Market. This was according to his conception of Europe and of the European idea, but also of the place of the United Kingdom in the European entity.

These are the two themes that the lecturer will aim to clarify and examine in greater depth.

Arriving at the end of the 19th century in Paris from her native Poland, Maria Sklodowska will become Marie Curie, one of the greatest female figures in the history of science. In 1995, when her body was transferred to the Panthéon in Paris, it retained traces of radioactivity; for the safety of visitors, her coffin was covered in a layer of insulating lead.

With Kristin Scott Thomas

The success rate of asylum applications in France is now lower than the average for European countries, and yet, France has historically considered itself a ‘safe haven’. As Maryline Baumard noted in a 2015 article for Le Monde at the time of the refugee crisis, with this development, part of France’s sense of itself, of its traditions, hangs in the balance.

Vincent will tell you about Aznavour's life : - Born in 1924 in Paris, to a couple of refugees from Armenia, he was a friend of Edith Piaf, he began to appear in films, was interested in current affairs, created the "Aznavour for Armenia" foundation....There'll be film clips to watch, extracts of songs to hear. There'll be singing !

It is about a “living reading” as we speak about “living theatre”. Diverse techniques are needed to read aloud which allows you to become one with the text, to understand its meaning and to pass on it. Reading Aloud is, therefore, another way to approach the writing, to find out different rhythms, prosody, phonetics…

Generally speaking, Reading Aloud aims to read for other people: whether it be in public, with family, between friends, for teenagers, children or babies, for those who are learning a foreign language…

Reading Aloud can ask some questions : why? What is it for? For who? How to do?... Thus, in trying to answer generally and in giving some practical examples, we will be able to tackle this subject, which can attract book or poetry or texts of all kinds lovers, and why not, those who pass by there by chance.