New book on Francis Cabrel’s 40 years of life in songs

He is one of the artists most listened to by the French during the confinement: Francis Cabrel, more than 25 million records sold, is one of the figures of popular song.  

[Google Translation]


“Little Marie”, “I love to die”, “Again and again”, “The Lady of Haute-Savoie” …: for more than forty years, Francis Cabrel has been the author of a singular work and authentic. Embodying a musical genre on its own in French song, his poetry is a popular reference affecting several generations. 

In 13 albums and 25 million copies sold worldwide, the artist quickly became essential thanks to an identity marked by a pronounced accent and his folk guitar.

Francis Cabrel is also an artist concerned with the evolution of society. Thus, he does not hesitate to use his pen to try to raise awareness. His repertoire today contains many universal songs like “La corrida”, “Everyone thinks about it”, “You will have to tell them” or “I loved you, I love you and I will love you”.

Thomas Chaline reveals the secrets of Francis Cabrel’s creation and offers to discover the true story of his songs, which are all landmarks that mark the life of the poet. With the help of numerous anecdotes, the author looks back on around fifty titles and delivers an immersion in the world of one of the biggest record sellers in France. 

[to be published 24/09] Thomas Chaline – Cabrel, a life in songs – Hugo Doc – 9782755649062 – € 16.95

Source: Francis Cabrel, a life in songs: more than 40 years of career

Van Gogh’s Literary Influences

“Books and reality and art are the same kind of thing for me.”
– Vincent Van Gogh

In 1888, Vincent Van Gogh sold The Red Vineyard, a vibrant field of color abuzz with laborers, to an intimate supporter of the hungry artist for today’s equivalent of $2000. These days, a single painting by Van Gogh More

In 1888, Vincent Van Gogh sold The Red Vineyard, a vibrant field of color abuzz with laborers, to an intimate supporter of the hungry artist for today’s equivalent of $2000. These days, a single painting by Van Gogh can go for as much $66m at Sotheby’s, and Van Gogh™ is a billion dollar industry. And the topper is that The Red Vineyard, if sold today, probably would be the single most expensive painting ever bought, not because it was the most popular artist’s best, but because it’s the only one he ever sold in his lifetime. (Wow.)

Over the decades there have been a number of film accounts of Van Gogh’s work and life, from Stanley Kubrick’s Kirk Douglas-driven Technicolor slave revolt from Black-and-White, to the more recent BBC biopic, Painted with Words, starring Benedict Cumberbatch with a script derived solely from Van Gogh’s written words. Continue reading “Van Gogh’s Literary Influences” →

Tati, much-loved French retailer, shuts up shop in Paris after 70 years

Tati, the much-loved cut-price clothing chain that has been a French retail institution for more than 70 years, is to close its original – and last – Paris store, after public transport strikes and the coronavirus crisis sent sales plunging by more than 60%.Founded by a Tunisian immigrant at the end of the second world war in the mainly west African Barbès district at the foot of Montmartre, Tati grew into more than 100 outlets around France, and its pink-and-white chequered carrier bags became a style statement for film stars and celebrities.

The company has been in difficulty for decades, having struggled to adapt its “pile ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap” strategy of the early postwar years to a more fashion-conscious clientele seduced by big fast-moving multinationals such as H&M or Primark. [ . . . ]

More at: Tati, much-loved French retailer, shuts up shop in Paris after 70 years | World news | The Guardian

French movies to stream: “Two Days, One Night

Two Days, One Night ★★★★☆

Masters of immersing you in other people’s grim predicaments whilst maintaining an essential lightness of touch, in 2014 Belgium’s Dardenne brothers teamed up winningly with the great French actress Marion Cotillard. The result was a fluid, Oscar-nominated drama that follows a desperate factory worker as she tries to persuade her colleagues to forgo their bonuses in order to save her job, in a highly unusual race against the clock. If you’ve yet to catch it, make it a must.
Watch now on iPlayer. | Source: The List

Marion Cotillard