Bonjour Mes Amis

It is such a pleasure to get emails from people who are starting to enjoy reading Mademoiselle Victorine. I love how different readers are taking away different things from the book. That's how Manet wanted his art to be interpreted. "The viewer may interpret as he wishes." I feel exactly the same way. A sequel? Really, T.J. give me a breather. And Samantha, why did you feel Victorine wasn't likable in the beginning? She had to change and evolve as the story unfolded. Keep your comments coming in emails to debra@debrafinerman.com. I love them!

PARTY TIME! VICTORINE'S DEBUT

Break out the Veuve Clicquot: The launch party for Mademoiselle Victorine was a blast! 80 people crammed onto a patio to toast the debut of the saucy mademoiselle from Paris. There were Hermes bags galore in the crowd. Friends and fans from all over the globe came to celebrate. From L.A., San Francisco, Washington D.C., and London (!) they came to nibble French hors d'oeuvres whipped up by French chef Jean-Louis Gerin, guzzle Veuve Clicquot champagne and party into the night. Wish you'd been there.
Pix to be posted tout de suite on the mademoisellevictorine.com website.

MADEMOISELLE VICTORINE!

Mademoiselle Victorine has made her debut. The historical fiction book based on the lives of Victorine Meurent and Virginia, the Countess of Castiglione, is now available in book stores and from online booksellers who began introducing the saucy French mademoiselle to the American and Canadian public on July 24, 2007. The foreign online booksellers and selected bookstores in Paris have also released the book to the public. Thank you so much to the book reviewers who have said such kind things about the book. Thank you to the dear readers who have begun to read and enjoy the novel. I, an author, cannot find the words to express how grateful I am.

Blogs About Blogging

There are so many good blogs out there. Technorati is helpful for finding any blog subject. I love the French Impressionists so I look that up. There are bloggers who have 7 blogs going all at once. What would Zola have blogged about? Manet? Mademoiselle Victorine?

Happy Bastille Day!

Bonjour French lovers and lovers of French. Today is the day that marks the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789 with the storming of the Bastille Prison. All throughout France there is a national day of celebration involving drinking toasts, singing of the Marselleaise national anthem and dancing in the streets.

Bastille Day, the French national holiday, commemorates the storming of the Bastille, which took place on 14 July 1789 and marked the beginning of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a prison and a symbol of the absolute and arbitrary power of Louis the 16th's Ancient Regime. By capturing this symbol, the people signaled that the king's power was no longer absolute: power should be based on the Nation and be limited by a separation of powers.

Although the Bastille only held seven prisoners at the time of its capture, the storming of the prison was a symbol of liberty and the fight against oppression for all French citizens; like the Tricolore flag, it symbolized the Republic's three ideals: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity for all French citizens. It marked the end of absolute monarchy, the birth of the sovereign Nation, and, eventually, the creation of the (First) Republic, in 1792.

Here are the words in French and in English translation which you can sing or just hum. Sends chills up my spine every time I hear it. Remember the scene in Casablanca when everyone in Rick's Cafe stands and sing the Marseillaise in defiance of the Nazis? Here are the words so next time you can sing along.


Allons enfants de la patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé !
Contre nous de la tyrannie
L'étendard sanglant est levé ! (bis)
Entendez-vous dans les campagnes,
Mugir ces féroces soldats ?
Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras
Égorger nos fils, nos compagnes !

Refrain

Aux armes, citoyens !
Formez vos bataillons !
Marchons ! Marchons !
Qu'un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons !

The translation isn't very accuarate, but it gets the message across.
La Marseillaise
French National Anthem

La Marseillaise was composed by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792 and was declared the French national anthem in 1795.

Let's go children of the fatherland,
The day of glory has arrived!
Against us tyranny's
Bloody flag is raised! (repeat)
In the countryside, do you hear
The roaring of these fierce soldiers?
They come right to our arms
To slit the throats of our sons, our friends!

Refrain

Grab your weapons, citizens!
Form your batallions!
Let us march! Let us march!
May impure blood
Water our fields!

Bonne fete, mes amis.

Let's Run Away to Paris

Well, as Bastille Day, July 14th, draws near, it's time to dream of running away to Paris. The mood in the City of Light is upbeat because of the new president, Nicholas Sarkozy. His reforms aim to bring France into the 21st century and create prosperity for the French. Already blessed with the finest culture, fashion, wine, cheese, cuisine, art, architecture and history, the French only need to modernize their economy to be a great world power again.
Here's a snippet from a web site called French Property Insider that tracks trends in France as related to buying an apartment in Paris-a most important part of the dream to run away to Paris!

"When he was elected earlier this year, new French President Nicholas Sarkozy promised a major break with the past. With pledges to take on vested interests, get the country working longer hours and transform France into a land of property owners, not to mention a general image as a right-winger not afraid to put some noses out of joint, he has quickly earned the moniker of the French Margaret Thatcher.

The new president prefers comparisons with Tony Blair, a man with whom he enjoyed the briefest of working relationships, but the gentleman has shown himself not for turning on his key pledge to end the 35-hour week, but the announcement of tax breaks for those who work overtime, Homesworldwide reports.

According to the article, this move could in itself be the catalyst for the housing market. By stimulating growth - which should then help reduce unemployment - as well as putting more money in the pockets of those who do work longer, the growth in wealth will place an increasing number of people in a position to invest in property in France. With this, so the article contends, will come increases in property values."

Happy Independence Day!

Independence Day should be celebrated by everyone who feels independent and free. Whether you live in the USA or anywhere in the world you should celebrate if you are entitled to think freely and act freely. We must all hope that the people who are under subjugation to leaders who brainwash them and who aren't free to think for themselves will realize that it is their birthright to be free. Free of imposed religious dogma, free of political propaganda, we are all born free thinkers and should strive to be so.
The French Impessionists broke free of established dogma and changed art and the way we see the world. They were also called the Circle of Independents before the label, Impressionist, was attached to them permanently.
Frenchimpressionista wishes a Happy Independence Day to all!