French Literature Nights in NYC: Sons at the Cornelia on 2/24/14

We hope that 2014 has started well and we welcome you to our next French Literature night at the Cornelia Street Cafe, on February 24th from 6 pm till 7.30 pm

The evening will be dedicated to "sons".

The three excerpts we chose to read are linked by the specific theme about the relationship between parents and their sons.

First, the character in Carole Fives' short story - Anything to please him - tells how his efforts to please his father were in vain as he changed professions, first becoming an artist, then a writer, and finally a comedian. He could never get the slightest acknowledgement from his beloved father even though everyone else congratulated him about his accomplishments. This short story is part of bigger collection called - When Happiness Finds Us - that was released in 2010 by Le Passage-Paris/New York éditions

Veronique Olmi's main character in The truth about the night is a young fat boy, alienated at school, who can't help but disappoint his mother, especially when she gathers with her friends in the kitchen where he would like to get into the jar of Nutella. The novel was published in 2013 by Albin Michel.

In The Unbreakable boy, Florence Seyvos tells the story of Buster Keaton and his father. This leads her to reflect upon her own childhood when she witnessed the strong and difficult relationship of her step-father with his handicaped son, Henri. The father appears to be tough, demanding and without pity, but this is clearly for his son's sake. This novel was published by Editions de l'Olivier in 2013