La Lettre de l - Alliance Française of Greenwich

La Lettre de l’
Learn French, Live French
OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER 2015
(French)
Chers amis francophones et francophiles,
(English)
Dear francophone friends,
We
are delighted to welcome you all to a new year of activities and new events.
L’équipe de l’Alliance Française de Greenwich est heureuse de vous retrouver
pour une rentrée riche en activités et en nouveautés !
Nous étions toutes ravies de vous voir si nombreux à notre Cocktail de Rentrée. We were happy to see so many of you at our Cocktail de Rentree. Thank you to
all who helped organize this evening.
Une soirée bien agréable. Merci à tous ceux qui ont aidé à l’organiser.
Un des premiers évènements culturels de la saison sera la conférence de Jea- One of our first cultural events of the season will be the lecture by Professeur
nine Plottel au sujet de Michel Houellebecq et l’air du temps. Ceci aura lieu mardi Jeanine Plottel about the writer Michel Houllebecq and current times. This will
take place on October 27th at 1:30pm at the Round Hill Community Church.
le 27 octobre à 1h30 à Round Hill Community Church.
N’oubliez pas le concert du Greenwich Chamber Orchestra au Round Hill Com- Don’t miss the concert VIVE LA FRANCE by the Greenwich Chamber Players at
munity Church dimanche, le 11 octobre à 4h sur le thème de VIVE LA FRANCE. Round Hill Community Church on Sunday October 11th at 4pm. French classical
music followed by a hors d’oeuvres reception.
La musique classique française suivi d’une réception d’hors d’œuvres et vins.
Ensuite nous aurons une conférence le 24 novembre sur l’enseignement du On November 24th we will have a conference about French language instruction
français aux soldats nord-africains dans l’armée coloniale. Le professeur Habiba to North African troops during the colonial army. Professor Habiba Boumlik will
speak to us about this fascinating subject.
Boumlik viendra nous parler de ce fascinant sujet.
Marquez des à présent le 20 novembre pour la formidable soirée Paris Cocktails
à la nouvelle boutique de vin, Putnam and Vine à Greenwich. Doni Belau la
fondatrice du Girls’ Guide to Paris vient d’écrire le livre Paris Cocktails. Elle nous
apprendra comment préparer des cocktails français très à la mode. Un livre sera
offert à tous. Ca sera une soirée au bénéfice de l’Alliance Française de Greenwich.
Please save the date for November 20th and the fun evening called Paris Cocktails. It will be held at the new wine shop in Greenwich, Putnam and Vine.
(formerly Le Wine Shop) Doni Belau the founder of Girls’ Guide to Paris has just
written a book about Paris Cocktails. Learn how to make delicious French cocktails that are all the rage. . Everyone will go home with a copy of the book. This
event is a fundraiser for the Alliance Francaise of Greenwich.
Cet automne, vous pourrez une nouvelle fois apprécier une bonne sélection de This autumn we continue our French Cinematheque at the Avon Theatre in Stamfilm français à ne pas manquer lors des soirées French Cinémathèque à l’Avon ford. On October 8th we will screen “Kung Foo Master” and on November 12th we
Théâtre à Stamford. Le 8 octobre nous passerons le film «Le Petit Amour» et le will be screening the film “My New Girlfriend”.
12 novembre le film « Une Nouvelle Amie ».
Save the date for the 12th edition of Focus on French Cinema that will be held in
Notez également des à présent les dates de notre douzième édition de Focus on Greenwich at the Bow Tie Cinema on April 1 – 3 2016.
French Cinéma 2016 le 1- 3 avril qui aura lieu encore au Bow Tie Cinema à
Our French classes are off to a good start. We are happy to announce new
Greenwich !
immersion days on various subjects.
La session d’automne des classes de français a bien démarré. L’Alliance Française continue de promouvoir l’apprentissage de la langue française à travers la We are delighted to offer you a year filled with interesting and enriching activities
création de différents programmes. Nous sommes ravies de vous annoncer des and we thank you for your continued support.
journées d’immersion autour de différents sujets.
Renée Ketcham & Gail Covney
Nous sommes heureuses de vous offrir une année pleine d’activités intéressantes, enrichissantes et nous vous remercions encore de la confiance dont vous
nous témoignez..
Sommaire
Pages 2-3: Special Events
Page 4:: Conferences
Pages 5-6: Cinema
Pages 7-8: Literature
Page 9: Cuisine
Page 10: Education
Page 11: pictures
Page 12: membership
299 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830 Tel: (203) 629-1340 [email protected] www.afgreenwich.org
Special Events
In partnership with
Presents
VIVE LA FRANCE
Opening Concert
Sunday October 11 | 4pm
Round Hill Community Church | Greenwich, CT
French music followed by a reception with French
hors d’oeuvres and wine
Sponsored by the Alliance Française of Greenwich.
Discounted price for AFG members
Tickets can be purchased at the door or on the website
www.greenwichsymphony.org
APÉRO –AMIS
Join AFG members and friends for an evening of
cocktails and conversation. Bring a bottle of wine and
your love of French language and Francophile and
Francophone speakers will be on hand to engage all
levels of ability. Bring a friend who you feel would
benefit from practicing French.
First meeting Wednesday September 30
7pm-8.30pm
Cynthia Smith Residence
340 Riverside Ave, Riverside, CT.
Cynny Smith
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PARIS COCKTAILS
Fundraiser event for
the Alliance Française of Greenwich
Friday November 20
6pm-8pm
Putman and Vine
39 E. Elm Street
Greenwich, CT 06830
Join Paris Cocktails author Doni Belau for a minimixology lesson and a talk about the new cocktail
revolution happening now in Paris. Sipping,
sampling and noshing will be encouraged !
Every Attendee will walk home with their own
signed copy of Paris Cocktails, the new French
Cost $50/ Person
RSVP 203-629-1340
[email protected]
gift book chock full of recipes ,
Soirée planning ideas and bar reviews, mentioned
by the NY Times , the Telegraph in the UK, CBS
and may more.
Doni Belau is a lifestyle expert and founder of Girls’ Guide to
Paris. Paris Cocktails, published by Cider Mill Press and written
by Doni Belau transports you to the heart of this trendsetting region with more than 100 cocktail recipes. A beautiful and comprehensive gift book exploring the exploding Paris artisanal
drink scene. This book is the first of its kind and includes 100
classic and craft cocktail recipes, as well as quintessential
French bars in Paris and around the world.
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Conférences
Wednesday October 14 - 1:30pm | Bruce Museum
SEVEN DEADLY SINS
|
CHARLES HENRY DAVIS
A visit to the Bruce Museum’s two current exhibits:
1. The Seven Deadly Sins, Pride - This exhibit is part of a show organized by Fairfield/Westchester Museum Alliance.
2. Charles Henry Davis Paintings - A Connecticut impressionist painter
with strong ties to France.
RSVP: [email protected]
In ENGLISH Fereshteh Priou, a docent at the Bruce Museum has organized this special private tour for the AFG members.
The Exhibit will be followed by a café / croissant at Versailles. The entry fee to the Bruce Museum and the following café and croissant are complimentary.
Tuesday October 27 - 1:30pm | Round Hill Community Center
MICHEL HOUELLEBECQ ET L’AIR DU TEMPS
Conférence présentée par Jeanine Plottel
Poésies, essaies et romans de Michel Houellebec évoquent ce que lui-même qualifie de bordel général des ideologies dominantes de notre société.
Nous examinerons les oeuvres de celui qui tient à présent le role de contemporain
capital des lettres françaises : héritier entre autres de Charles Beaudelaire, de Victor Hugo, d’Honoré de Balzac et Joris Karl Huysmans.
Jeanine Plottel is the former chair of Hunter College
department of romance
languages and the author of many articles and books
French and English.
Tuesday November 24 - 1:30pm | Round Hill Community Center
L’ENSEIGNEMENT DU FRANCAIS AUX SOLDATS
NORD-AFRICAINS DANS L’ARMEE COLONIALE
Conférence présentée par Habiba Boumlik
La présentation porte sur les méthodes développées et utilisées par l’armée et le
gouvenement français pour enseigner le français aux soldats indigènes enrolés
dans l’armée coloniale française pendant les deux guerres mondiales.
La présentation s’appuie sur des documents consultés au cours des recherches
effectuée par Habiba à la Bibliothèque Nationale de France Durant l’été 2013.
Habiba parlera en details des manuels majeurs conçus par les militaires pour
répondre aux besoins perçus des apprenants adultes alnaphabètes.
Dr Habiba Boumlik is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education and Language Division at la Guardia College.
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Ciné-Club
Byram Shubert Library | 21 mead Avenue | Greenwich, CT 06830 | 7:00pm on a Thursday
Half of a Yellow Sun | Thursday October 29
Half of a Yellow Sun is a Nigerian historical fiction drama film.
Twin sisters from a wealthy Nigerian family take widely different paths
in life, but both become swept up in the struggle to establish Biafra as
an independent Republic. The sisters become caught up in the
shocking violence of the Nigerian civil war and a betrayal that threatens their family forever.
Tomboy | Thursday November 19
Similar to her debut feature, " Water Lilies" ( 2008), Celine Sciamma's film, " Tomboy" concerns itself with a girl's coming of age.
When tomboyish ten year old Laure is asked her name by a new
neighbor, she introduces herself as Mikael. "Tomboy" navigates the
challenging issue of sexual identity with sensitivity.
Delicacy (la Délicatesse) | Thursday December 17
A suddenly widowed Parisien executive (Audry Tautou) finds her zest
for life when she begins a romantic relationship with and employee
that everyone believes will not last.
Delicacy is a sweetheart of a love story.
M O V I E S AR E AL W AY S I N F R E N C H W I T H E N G L I S H S U B T I T L E S
Ciné-Critique
Bibliothèque de Cos Cob | 5 Sinawoy Rd,| Cos Cob,| CT.
Un Conte d’Eté
Rosetta
Jeudi 8 Octobre | 13 heures
Jeudi 10 décembre | 13 heures
Un des plus gros succès d’Eric Rohmer, ce film a
été tourné en 1996 le long des falaises et plages
bretonnes de Dinard. Avec Melville Poupaud.
Ce film des frères Dardenne a gagné la Palme
d’Or au festival de Cannes et Emilie Dequenne,
le prix de la meilleure actrice dans son tout
premier role.
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French Cinémathèque
Presented by Alliance Française of Greenwich & the Avon Theatre in Stamford
Thursday October 8 | 7:30pm - Avon Theatre
Kung Fu Master (Le Petit Amour)
From director Agnes Varda and star/muse Jane Birkin, KUNG-FU MASTER
has nothing to do with martial arts – the film’s title comes from an arcade
video game played obsessively in the film by a teenaged boy, Julien. Birkin
delivers one of her finest performances as a lonely 40-year old woman who
finds herself shattering taboos by falling in love with the 14-year old Julien –
but is it romance, or a desperate attempt to turn back time in the face of
middle age?
Thursday November 12 | 7:30pm - Avon Theatre
The New Girlfriend ( Une Nouvelle Amie)
François Ozon’s humorous psychological drama. Claire a young
woman whose closest friend Lea passes away leaving behind a husband David and a newborn baby. One day she drops by David’s
house and finds him dresses in his dead wife’s clothes and feeding
the baby. He said that Lea was aware of his predilections and that he
was relieved that he has someone to share his secret with.
Thursday December 10 | 7:30pm - Avon Theatre
Breathe ( Respire)
Charlie is an average French suburban teenager, but when she becomes fast friends with Sarah, the rebellious new girl at school, she
discovers there is nothing average about how she feels in Melanie
Laurent’s sexy sophomore film.
At the Avon Theatre - 272 Bedford Street - Stamford, CT 06901
Carte Blanche: FREE | Avon & AFG Members: $6 | Nonmembers: $11
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International Book Club
Byram Shubert Library | 5-6pm | rsvp: [email protected] - 203.629.1340
Tues da y, Oct ober 20
Am ericanah
A powerful, tender story of race and identity by Nigerian author Chimamanda
Ngozi Adichie. Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military ruled Nigeria to the West.
Ifemelu heads to America and Obinzi to London. Fifteen years later, they reunite
in a newly democractic Negeria, and reignite their passion for each other and for
their homeland. one of New York Times ten best books of the year.
Tuesday, November 17
Murder in the Marais
Aimee Leduc, a Parisian investigator has sworn she would stick to technical
Investigations, no criminal cases. But when an old Jewish man approaches
Aimee with a top decoding job, she unwittingly takes more than she was
expecting.
Tuesday, December 15
Madame Bovary
A 1856 Novel by Gustave Flaubert which focuses on a doctor’s wife Emma
Bovary who has adulterous affairs and lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emptiness of provincial life.
Club de Lecture
Byram Shubert Library | 13h30
Mercredi 21 octobre |
Le Desert de L’Amour
Un roman de François Mauriac publié en 1925. Ce livre, grand prix du roman
de l’Académie Française, évoque la passion amoureuse qu’un père et son fils
ont pour la même femme, Maria Cross.
Mercredi 9 décembre
L’Immoraliste
Ce récit d’André Gide conçu sous la forme d’une longue confession, épouse
de très prés l’aventure personnelle de Gide et la crise qu’il a lui-même vécue.
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Proust Corner
Clan Mentality
By: Fereshteh Priou
Clan mentality rages rampant throughout
Proust’s book. The participants at the Verdurin’s salon are called the little clan and
they act as such, fearful of their host and
blindly following her every whim. The members of her salon are called “the faithful”
and those in the high society who often
snub her salon are referred to as “the
bores”. But this clan attitude is not specific
to the Verdurins’ gatherings. The aristocratic salon of Duchesse de Guermantes also
follows the same mindset. In these gatherings, the hosts not only encourage a clannish behavior, they support it and thrive on
it, as if the salon’s pulse is dependent on
the alliances formed between the participants.
Proust is a shrewd observer of this herd
attitude and describes it cunningly. In the
many social gatherings he illustrates in the
book, we notice affiliations, friendship
pacts, and a strong belief by the group of
the necessity to support a certain norm and
code of behavior presented by the host.
These factors guide social exchanges and
they are essential to a unified and solid
group conduct. Gossiping is widespread
and the subjects of these gossips are mostly guileless and clueless individuals who
are undeserving of the unfair treatment
since they are often accomplished and intelligent people.
One of the characters in the book, Brichot,
is a professor at the Sorbonne. The first
time the narrator encounters Brichot at the
Verdurins’, he is enamored with him and his
intellect. The narrator keeps on engaging
Brichot at the dinner table about the etymology of the names of towns and villages.
Brichot, who has a vast knowledge in this
area, keeps on describing the origin of
words at length. The narrator is delighted
and after dinner tells the hostess how much
he enjoyed the company of Brichot and his
insights on etymology. Hearing this, Mme.
Verdurin rolls her eyes and tells the narrator, “Now you return to Balbec knowing
what Balbec means.” Mr. Verdurin and Dr.
Cottard find the remark hilarious and join in
their mirthful degradation the professor.
Seeing this exchange, the narrator suddenly realizes that the Verdurins and their little
clan regard Brichot with derision and contempt, and speak of him with scorn and
sarcasm. This sudden realization makes
the narrator cringe at the thought that while
he was having a lengthy conversation at
dinner with Brichot, the rest of the group
looked at him as a foolish man for respecting the mocked scholar. Reading the passage, you become aware that in a normal
gathering, people would have been impressed by Brichot’s knowledge, but because of the clannishness of the group, the
event was viewed in a totally different manner. It is clear that in this instance, the herd
attitude helps the members of the clan to
secure themselves with a sense of superiority and fearlessness. The feeling of belonging to an exclusive and elite group
makes them believe that they are privy to
insider information which is only available to
them.
The clan mocks Brichot behind his back,
but they abuse other members of the group
in their presence and in the presence of
everyone else. This is the case with Saniette who is a shy, good-natured man,
skillful in ancient handwriting. His shyness
affects his speech and he is rudely mocked
by Mr. Verdurin in front of everyone. This
makes him even more nervous and his
speech less coherent. The aggressiveness
is gratuitous and cruel, but since it is sanctioned by the host, it causes enormous hilarity. Sanieete nevertheless tolerates the
treatment for the sake of belonging.
By adapting the mob mentality, the members might think of themselves as individualistic people who are willingly chose to act
in a certain way, but in fact they are very
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much conformist and obedient to the impulses and desires of their leader. They
attempt to side with the leader in order to
become the favorite and therefore gain superiority in the hierarchy of their group.
They get caught up in the group’s interactions and are influenced by the nature of
the institution they have joined.
Clan mentality affects most of us early in
our lives. At school, especially high school,
we like to identify with the popular clique.
Failing that makes us insecure and afraid of
the ridicule of our classmates or mortified of
the thought of being bullied by them. Later
in life, we encounter the clan mentality in
the form of office politics. For most of us,
professional life is about hard work and
knowledge in our area of expertise. We are
then amazed to see that some of our coworkers who are not necessarily proficient
or diligent advance their careers by the
mere force of their ability to play perfectly
their role in the theatre of the office politics.
As a keen observer of this phenomenon,
Proust demonstrates that the leader of the
clan is not necessarily an intellectually superior person, but rather an insecure individual that gains strength through exerting
cruelty towards a specific individual. Just as
chickens show their dominance by incessant pecking at the weakest chicken, humans often use the same process in a psychological way to gain dominance among
their peers. The only consolation is that the
dominance gained in this manner is temporary and time is the powerful factor that will
turn things around. Although the characters
in Proust’s book remain the same, their
existence changes as time goes by. This
change will in turn transform them into different beings who rise and descend in their
social circles. Whether it is ageing or life
circumstances, they become different and
altered people. The strong becomes weak
and vice versa. Time after all is the great
equalizer.
Upcoming Meetings for Proust Group:
10/8, 11/12 & 12/10 5 -7 pm at the Byram
Shubert Library - Discussions are in
English, led by Fereshteh Priou
[email protected]
La Table Française
Thursday October 8 | 12 pm
@ La Panetière
531 Milton Road
Rye, NY
$32 / person
(beverage, tax and gratuity not included)
RSVP [email protected]
Next dates for La Table Française
Thursday November 5, 2015
Thursday December 3, 2015
Venue will be announced in our weekly emails
SAVE THE DATE
HOLYDAY PARTY
Friday December 11
Time and Venue will be announced.!
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Education
www.afgreenwich.org (to access all the brochures…)
Contact: [email protected] | 203.629.1340
French Immersion
Playschool
Ecole du Samedi
For Children 3-5
Tuesday - Friday 9am - 11:30 am
For Bilingual Children
3 Sat. per month
9:30am - 12:30 pm
New Location
299 Greenwich Ave
Greenwich, CT
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Board of Directors
2014 - 2015
President:
Co-President:
Treasurer:
Le Beaujolais Nouveau
Renée Ketcham
Gail Covney
Fereshteh Priou
Committees
Honorary Board Member
Board member
Ciné-Club:
Ciné-Critique:
Conferences:
School Relations:
Bourses et Prix :
Education outreach:
Francophonie:
Soleil:
International Book Club:
Table Francaise:
Proust Group:
Cultural Liaison
Office:
Jean-Louis Gerin
Karen Bacon
Gail Covney
Mimi Wind
Catherine Ladnier
Renée Ketcham
Gail Covney
Marcia Josephson
Gail Covney
Anne Kern
Lucie Chabrol
Paule Khoury
Gail Covney
Renée Ketcham
Sylviane Leibowitz
Fereshteh Priou
Miguel García-Colón
Farah Walczuk &
Antoine Bancharel
No event scheduled by the AFG. We will keep you posted
on local restaurants celebrating Le Beaujolais Nouveau
PAST EVENTS
BASTILLE DAY FLAG RAISING
& BREAKFAST AT BISTROT V
Les activités habituelles de l’Alliance
Conférences
Round Hill Community Church Parlor
Tuesdays |1.30pm
397 Round Hill Road
Les Causeries
Le deuxième lundi du mois à 13h30 à moins
d’un avis contraire @ Cos Cob Library
Marie Agnès Peters, Tél: (203) 355-1787
Gérard Laurent, Tél: (203) 661-9420
Reed Lecture Conversation
Troisième mardi à 13h30
@ Byram Shubert Library
Francis Polizio, Tél: (914) 939-1092
Café franco-américain
Tous les deux vendredis à 9h30.
Discussion chez un particulier. Une heure
en anglais et une heure en français.
Susan Benthall, Tél: (203) 322-9219
Club de lecture
Discussion dirigée de 5 livres dans l’année.
Mimi Wind, Tél: (203) 355-9499
Claire Schwartz, Tél: (914) 273-9588
Ciné-Club
Le dernier jeudi du mois à 19h @ Byram
Shubert Library
Pictures by Anne Friday
COCKTAIL DE RENTREE
@ ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH
Ciné-Critique
Le jeudi à 13h00 @ Cos Cob Library
Pour les amoureux du cinéma français.
Projection vidéo suivie d’une discussion.
Mimi Wind, Tél: (203) 355-9499
Proust Group
17h00 See page 7 for dates & location
Fereshteh Priou, Tel: (203) 918-1238
La Table Française
Le premier jeudi du mois
Sylviane Liebowitz, Tel: (914) 536-8643
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Les Nouveaut é s à la Téléthèque
Deux Jours, Une Nuit
Two Days, One Night
(2014)by Dardenne
(2015)Brothers
La Religieuse
The Nun
(2015) by Guillaume
Niclous
Timbuktu
(2014) Abderrahman
Sissako
Sandra has only oneweek end to convince her
co-workers to give up
their 1000 euro bonus so
that she can keep her job
at a solar panels factory.
With Marion
Cotillard.
In the 1760’s Suzanne is
forced by her parents to
become a nun. She learns
that as an illegimate child,
she is supposed to atone
to her mother’s sin.
Near Timbuktu, now ruled
by religious fondamentalists , Kidane lives peacefully in the dunes with his
wife and daughter. Suddenly their destiny changes and they must face the
new laws of foreign occupants.
Bande de Filles
2014 by Celine
Sciamma
Fed up with her abusive
family situation, lack of
school prospects and the
“boys laws” in the neighborhood, Marienne, a
teenage girl in Paris,
starts a new life after
meeting a group of three
free spirited girls.
Membership
Le Centre de l’Alliance Française: our center, located in the Arts Center, 299 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich, CT
is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
French Classes: classes are held at the AFG Center, Monday through Saturday. Call Farah Walczuk
(203) 629-2301
Website : Visit us at: www.afgreenwich.org
For more information, please contact our office during our regular business hours at (203) 629-1340
The Alliance Française of Greenwich is a non-profit organization.
Amazing Co-membership offer with
French Institute - Alliance Française
(FIAF) in New York!
Please call us, email us, or stop by the
office for more information on this
incredible opportunity
Starting this year, new Members of the Alliance Française of
Greenwich, CT also automatically become FIAF
Members, gaining access to all FIAF Member
benefits, including amazing cultural
programs & discounts in NY!
Current Members of the Alliance Française of Greenwich
can also upgrade to this co-membership and start
enjoying the many programs & world-class
events of one of the most respected
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