Discover Louisiana

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 09 February 2021 > What's On

Discover films, class visits and talks on New Orleans, Louisiana and Southern literature thanks to the Travelling Film Festival and the Institut Franco-Américan in Rennes. New Orleans is the star of this year’s festival, which is going ahead despite cinemas being closed. In fact, it’s even being extended for classes in Ile-et-Vilaine: film showings and … Continue reading “Discover Louisiana”

Online Talk About President Kennedy

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 02 February 2021 > What's On

The American Library in Paris is continuing to run “evening with an author” events despite the curfew. And the advantage is you can tune in for free from anywhere, and there’s no limit on numbers. On 16 February, it will feature an interview with Pulitzer-prizewinning historian Fredrik Logevall on his biography of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. … Continue reading “Online Talk About President Kennedy”

Presidential Poet

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 15 January 2021 > What's On

The line-up for the Biden-Harris Presidential Inauguration includes an extraordinary young poet. Andrea Gorman was named the country’s inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017, at just 18. The Inauguration swearing-in ceremony traditionally includes a religious invocation and blessing, given by Father Leo J. O’Donovan and Reverend Dr. Silvester Beaman, a recitation of the Pledge … Continue reading “Presidential Poet”

Hanif Kureishi: The Buddha of Suburbia

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 07 January 2021 > Shine Bright Lycée What's On

Hanif Kureishi is a subversive writer in search of identity beyond the borders of race, gender and class. Vanessa Guignery draws a portrait of the author of The Buddha of Suburbia, My Beautiful Launderette and My Son the Fanatic. In 1993, three years after the publication of his debut novel The Buddha of Suburbia, Hanif … Continue reading “Hanif Kureishi: The Buddha of Suburbia”

The Spy Who Turned Novelist

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 14 December 2020 > What's On

John le Carré, master spy novelist, died on 12 December at the age of 89. Like James Bond creator Ian Fleming, le Carré himself worked in intelligence, but his novels were the polar opposite of Bond, portraying espionage as bleak, often tedious, and above all morally ambiguous. Le Carré was a pen name, since he … Continue reading “The Spy Who Turned Novelist”

The 2020 Booker Prize Goes to First-time Scottish Author

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 25 November 2020 > What's On

Britain’s most prestigious literary prize this year was awarded on 19 November to one of four debut novels in the shortlist: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, a story of family love and addiction in recession-hit 1980s Glasgow. The story is set in the era of Thatcherism and deindustrialisation. For working-class families, times were hard. When … Continue reading “The 2020 Booker Prize Goes to First-time Scottish Author”

Celebrating Diwali with a Light Installation at Tate Britain

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 12 November 2020 > Shine Bright Collège Shine Bright Lycée What's On

Like all museums in England, Tate Britain is closed to the public for lockdown. But it’s still celebrating art, and the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, in a stunning artwork displayed on the OUTSIDE of the building. This year’s Winter Commission for the London museum is by Chila Kumari Burman. The 63-year-old artist’s works draws … Continue reading “Celebrating Diwali with a Light Installation at Tate Britain”

Booker Prize Shortlist 2020

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 06 November 2020 > What's On

The UK’s most prestigious literary prize, the Booker, will be awarded on 19 November. This year’s shortlist of six books, including four debut novels, is very diverse, featuring authors from the U.S., Zimbabwe and Ethiopia as well as a single representative from the U.K. Four of the picks  centre around parent-child relationships. Douglas Stuart’s Shuggie … Continue reading “Booker Prize Shortlist 2020”