France Culture

An alphabetical exploration of the people, geography, animals, plants, history, and culture of France.

The French are "different." You'll often hear this in conversations among the "Anglo-Saxons," as the French like to call English speakers. "Different" means charming, challenging, questioning, stylish, and doing things in their own way and to their own advantage. By looking at the attitudes and values of the French, and explaining how French life and business works, Culture Smart! France shows you how to fit in as a foreigner.

Discover the France you never knew — beyond the Eiffel Tower and the Loire châteaux, past the cafés of Paris and the lavender fields of Provence, into the soul of the nation. France: The Tapestry of Regions takes you on an unforgettable journey through history, culture, and identity — from Brittany’s rugged coasts to Corsica’s jagged mountains, from the vineyards of Burgundy to the Alps’ soaring peaks. Historian Julien Peltier weaves together centuries of French history with vivid storytelling, revealing the unique character of each region: the troubadours of Languedoc, the ...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Drawing on exhaustive research, this intimate account details how World War I reduced Europe’s mightiest empires to rubble, killed twenty million people, and cracked the foundations of our modern world “Thundering, magnificent . . . [A World Undone] is a book of...

In the 1970s, Paris fashion exploded like a champagne bottle left out in the sun. Amid sequins and longing, celebrities and aspirants flocked to the heart of chic, and Paris became a hothouse of revelry, intrigue, and searing ambition. At the center of it all were fashion’s most beloved luminaries - Yves Saint Laurent, the reclusive enfant terrible, and Karl Lagerfeld, the flamboyant freelancer with a talent for reinvention - and they divided Paris into two fabulous halves.

John Julius Norwich - called a "true master of narrative history" by Simon Sebag Montefiore - returns with the book he has spent his distinguished career wanting to write, A History of France, a portrait of the past two centuries of the country he loves best. Beginning with Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul in the first century BC, this study of French history comprises a cast of legendary characters - Charlemagne, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Joan of Arc, and Marie Antionette, to name a few - as Norwich chronicles France's often violent, always fascinating history.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review The Economist The Christian Science Monitor Bloomberg Businessweek The Globe and Mail From the bestselling and award-winning author of Paris 1919 comes a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, a fascinating...

It is an era that redefined history. As the 1790s began, a fragile America teetered on the brink of oblivion, Russia towered as a vast imperial power, and France plunged into revolution. But in contrast to the way conventional histories tell it, none of these remarkable events occurred in...

In this poignant, delicious memoir, American tax preparer and food writer Steve Hoffman tells the story of how he and his family move to the French countryside, where the locals upend everything he knows about food, wine, and learning how to belong. Steve Hoffman is a perfectly comfortable...

A humiliating military defeat by Bismarck's Germany, a brutal siege, and a bloody uprising - Paris in 1871 was in shambles, and the question loomed, "Could this extraordinary city even survive?" Mary McAuliffe takes the listener back to these perilous years following the abrupt collapse of the Second Empire and France's uncertain venture into the Third Republic. By 1900, Paris had recovered, and the Belle Epoque was in full flower, but the decades between were difficult, marked by struggles.

Beginning with the Roman army's first recorded encounter with the Gauls and ending in the era of Emmanuel Macron, France takes listeners on an endlessly entertaining journey through French history. Robb conveys with wit and precision what it felt like to look over the shoulder of a young Louis XIV as he planned the vast garden of Versailles, and the dangerous thrill of having a seat at the French revolution. Some of the protagonists may be familiar, but appear here in a very different light—Caesar, Charlemagne, Louis XIV, Napoleon Bonaparte, General Charles de Gaulle.

More than 40,000 listeners have enjoyed this story on cassette. Now anyone who's ever dreamed of getting away from it all can enjoy the charms and challenges of A Year in Provence on CD! Peter Mayle and his wife had been to Provence as tourists. They had dreamed of one day trading the long, gray...

The inspiring and delicious memoir of an American woman who had the gall to open a cooking school in Paris—a true story of triumphing over French naysayers and falling in love with a city along the way “An engaging, multilayered story of a woman navigating innumerable cultural differences to...

Recuperamos El acoso moral, un longseller de Paidós, donde la autora analiza este tipo de relaciones perversas a través de numerosos testimonios y nos enseña a identificarlas allá donde se produzcan, ya sea en la pareja, la familia o la empresa. «Acoso moral» es el concepto que describe la posibilidad de destruir a alguien solo con palabras, miradas o insinuaciones. En este libro, que se alimenta de numerosos testimonios, la autora analiza la especificidad de este tipo de relaciones perversas y nos enseña a identificarlas allá donde se produzcan, ya sea en la pareja, la familia o la empresa.

Read by the author and available digitally for the first time From the star of No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain's New York Times-bestselling chronicle of travelling the world in search the globe's greatest culinary adventures "Bourdain shows himself to be one of the country's best food writers...

From debut author Jamison Shea comes this slow-burn horror novel that lifts a veil on the institutions that profit from exclusion and the toll of giving everything to a world that will never love you back. This program is read by Grammy- and Emmy-award-winning-actor Kristolyn Lloyd. There will...

France is a country that continues to inspire, surprise, and challenge the world. From revolution to resistance, from decolonisation to digitalisation, modern France has lived through some of the most defining events of the 20th and 21st centuries. Understanding contemporary France means understanding a key player in global politics, culture, and values — and this book aims to make that history both accessible and engaging for learners of French. As a French teacher abroad for over 20 years, I’ve seen how language and history go hand in hand. Students don’t just want to learn grammar ...

France’s most famous icon is the Eiffel Tower. This tower in Paris is the height of an 81-story building and ranks as the most visited monument in the world! This book introduces children to the classic beauty, revolutionary people, and fine foods of a country known for the arts.

Step into the enchanting world of French pâtisserie—the delicate, colorful, and utterly irresistible art of pastry that has captivated the world for centuries. From the royal kitchens of Versailles to the bustling cafés of Paris, The Art of French Pâtisserie takes you on a journey through history, culture, and innovation. Discover how legendary chefs like Antonin Carême and Auguste Escoffier transformed desserts into masterpieces, how Sunday family rituals made pastry part of everyday life, and how French techniques continue to inspire chefs around the globe. Filled with fascinating ...

Kristin Harmel, the New York Times bestselling author who “is the best there is at sweeping historical drama” (Kelly Harms, author of The Seven Day Switch), returns with a captivating new novel about several intertwined stories of love, loss, courage, and redemption set over the course of...