Emily in France 🇫🇷 A Literary Interlude
The Camus question
I think it’s fair to say that most of you are here for my cheese-related ramblings, maybe a handful for my restaurant recommendations. But I hope you won't mind my deviating just a touch, today, from the well-trod path to share a truly phenomenal literary experience I had yesterday at Camus Par Enthoven.
This one-act, one-hour play offers a deep, funny, thought-provoking, and thoughtful exploration of the author that, unbeknownst to him, has been one of the inroads into French literature for many Anglophones studying French. He certainly was mine.
Raphaël Enthoven is the French philosophy teacher and writer who wrote and performs the bulk of the play, a exploration of the author in myriad forms. Sometimes Enthoven reads passages directly from Camus; sometimes he acts them out. Sometimes he takes advantage of other media, projecting scenes from Scarface and Monty Python and offering deft comparisons with everything from The Walking Dead and Greek mythology.
In so doing, Enthoven manages to revisit the way in which we approach this absurdist author, the best friend, he claims of those who wake up in the morning believing in nothing at all. But while often this absurdist ideal becomes the nucleus of any conversation regarding Camus, over the course of the hour, Enthoven tells the audience time and again – and comes to convince us – that what governs Camus mindset isn’t absurdity or even revolt. Rather, Camus was governed above all by a deep, omnipresent love.
Love, Enthoven claims, is not the conclusion of Camus, as so many critics claim. Rather, love is his root, his origin. It is love that leads him to the absurd, to revolt, to rebellion… and all of this leads him back to love. How? In its fleeting nature.
To desire to deprive oneself of that which does not last – happiness, love – is an all-too-human folly, Enthoven says, and the absurdity of this is the crux of Camus’ philosophy from his earliest to his very last work.
On this occasion, the show was appended with a Q&A that showcased the awe-inspiring depth and breadth of his knowledge of the author. It was during this Q&A that he offered the aha that made me understand something I’d never really questioned: why L’Étranger is so omnipresent on the syllabi of so many Anglophones learning French. Camus, he said, is simple to understand: always true to himself, never meandering or hiding his true intent behind periphrases and purple prose. The difficulty isn't in understanding him: It’s in allowing yourself to believe what he’s saying.
It’s no surprise to me that this play, which was meant to end in November, has been prolonged through the end of the month. French-speakers in Paris, I urge you: Check it out. It’s unforgettable.
Cheese of the Week
Langres hails from Champagne, but it’s far from as chic as the region’s better-known export. Stinky and squashed, this cheese kind of looks like someone sat on it, a shape that stems from an anomaly of production. Rather than being flipped as it ages, like so many of its cousins, Langres does all of its aging on one end, creating a sort of well or divot some fill with alcohol or even Champagne. Don’t be put off by its aroma: Langres is one of the more approachable of the washed-rind family, with a slightly sticky rind concealing a mild, creamy, buttery interior. My favorite comes from Laurent Dubois, where it’s rewashed in sweet mirabelle plum liqueur.
To discover more of my favorite cheeses, be sure to follow me on Instagram @emily_in_france, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and tune into the Terroir Podcast, where Caroline Conner and I delve into France's cheese, wine, and more one region at a time.
What I’m Eating
I was originally a fan of the small plates trend for the same reason I love pintxos: It gave me the opportunity to try a lot of things and not necessarily need to be rolled home. (Of course, if a pinxto crawl ends with la Viña cheesecake, all bets are off.) But of late, I’ve gotten ornery with the small plates wave, in large part because I feel like a lot of restaurateurs use it as an excuse to 1) Gauge you on high prices for small portions, 2) Reduce the kitchen’s need to time out meals at a luxurious – or even manageable – tempo, and 3) Give little thought to the way in which dishes are comprised as a cohesive whole. Paloma, luckily, is doing none of these things. More on the blog.
What I’m Doing
Signups for the next edition of the Nantes Writers’ Workshop June 24 to 28 are open! Sign up now, and in the meantime, be sure to sign up for our newsletter to keep those creative juices a-flowing.
What I’m Saying
In French, à la mode has got nothing to do with ice cream. Rather, it refers to one of the pinnacles of art de vivre: fashion. This week on Navigating the French, I’m joined by Kasia Dietz, travel journalist, bag designer, and fashion tour guide in Paris, to discuss how Paris became such a fashion capital.
Where I’m Going
1. To Les Petits Parisiens, a bistro in the 14th, with one of my dearest friends who's visiting me in Paris this week.
2. To check out this exhibit on Inventing Impressionism at the Musée d’Orsay.
3. To Marseille, en route to the next edition of TERRE/MER.
What I'm Writing
1. While some come to Paris for the bread, pastries or three-hour bistro lunches, I came for the cheese. Here are my favorite places to try it in the capital for the BBC.
2. Thanks in part to the low-ABV beverage trend, kvass is making a comeback. For InsideHook.
3. From the archives: Bistros were once a stalwart of the French capital, but as chefs grow more interested in trendy, contemporary fare, this classic establishment may be relegated to become a relic of its former self. For Life & Thyme.
What I'm Reading
1. This exploration of how one of my favorite movies of all time, When Harry Met Sally, saddled women (including yours truly) with a fear of coming off as high-maintenance. In the Atlantic.
2. This story that shows the ways in which Paris real estate circumvents the total freedom of the free market to ensure the city retains all of its spirit. In the New York Times.
3. Not reading... but watching this short video about the restoration of the "forest" of Notre-Dame is fascinating. In Rebâtir Notre-Dame.
A bientôt !