“The most fruitful and natural play of the mind, in my opinion, is conversation.” Michel de Montaigne (1533 – 1592)

This winter, we’re looking forward to a series of engaging conversations on Sister Deborah by Scholastique Mukasonga (Jordan Stump, Archipelago Books); The Propagandist by Cecile Desprairies (Natasha Lehrer, New Vessel Press); Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo (John Sturrock, Penguin Classic), On The Clock by Claire Baglin (Jordan Stump, New Directions) and Sad Tiger by Neige Sinno (Natasha Lehrer, Seven Stories Press).

This new line up aims to take you on a journey around the Francophone world and its diverse cultures through both classic and contemporary French and Francophone literature. For a few hours each month, change up your routine with books and friends from all the corners of the United States. Albertine Book Club offers a unique opportunity to meet and speak with other Francophiles.

Moderated by Albertine staff, the Albertine Book Club is free and open to Albertine members. For more information on how to become an Albertine member, click here.

CALENDAR

Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at 6pm

Sister Deborah, by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated by Mark Polizzotti, Archipelago Books

A beautiful novel that works in the slippages of history, Sister Deborah at its core is a story of what happens when women—black women and girls—seek the truth by any means.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 6pm

The propagandist by Cécile Desprairies, translated by Natasha Lehrer, New Vessel Press

“In her début novel, a historian of Vichy France tackles her family’s real-life collaboration during the Second World War . . . The result is at once a ghost story, a tale of amour fou, a settling of accounts, and, one senses, a deeply personal act of expiation . . . allowing readers to identify with the human foibles of characters on the wrong side of history, while never excusing them.” — Leslie Camhi in The New Yorker

Tuesday, April, 22 2025, at 6pm

Notre Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo, translated by John Sturrock, Penguin Classic
Victor Hugo’s sensational, evocative novel brings life to the medieval Paris he loved, and mourns its passing in one of the greatest historical romances of the nineteenth century.

Tuesday, May 20, 2024, at 6pm

On The Clock by Claire Baglain, translated by Jordan Stump, New Directions
A marvelous debut from the hugely talented young French writer Claire Baglin, this tender and painful portrait of working-class life finds shards of poetry inside the twin hardships of poverty and service work

Tuesday, June 18. 2024, at 6pm

Sad Tiger by Neige Sinno, translated by Jordan Stump, Seven Stories

“Reading Sad Tiger is like descending into an abyss with your eyes open. It forces you to see, to really see, what it means to be a child abused by an adult, for years. Everyone should read it.” —Annie Ernaux
Winner of multiple prizes, Neige Sinno has created a powerful literary form with Sad Tiger, a book that took France by storm and is an international phenomenon.