Newsletter January 2014

NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2014

Christmas party

We had a great Christmas party and we really want to thank all of you for supporting Foal by buying tickets for our raffle. The money raised (342 euros) has gone directly to buying new books which will soon be in the library. (list out soon). We are already starting to think about prizes for this year so the raffle will be even bigger and better !  We would also like to thank our kind hosts for providing the venue and the lovely decorations which helped to make this such a festive event.

Upcoming events

We have quite a lot on the agenda

First, our famous Quiz which takes place on 28 February at the Martin Luther King venue (27 Bvd Louis Blanc). Come at 6pm in time for a drink. Quiz starts at 6.30pm. Please put 5 euros per person into a discrete envelope and hand it in on arrival  (the money goes towards expenses for the drinks and nibbles, anything left over goes into the book budget).

Next we have been invited to an event which may be of interest to Foal members. For several years now, schools in the region have set up debating societies (in English, of course). The semi-finals and finals take place on April 11th at the CRDP (Allée de la Citadelle, near the Lycée Joffre) at 1.30pm

 World Book Day on 6 March  Unbeknownst to most people, World Book Day, sponsored by Unesco, has existed for 17 years. I found out about it quite by chance and thought it would be a good idea if Foal did something. (I have talked to the Town Hall about this but it is too late for them to do anything this year). Our nearest opening day is 12th March so on that day  if you buy two books, you get another one free. This will be a win-win situation, you get a free book and Foal offloads books from our groaning permanent Book Sale shelves and boxes ! Money raised goes straight into the book  budget as does the money from your subscriptions.

World War One commemoration event

I thought it would be a good idea for Foal to hold an event to commemorate  the start of WW1. I put the idea to our Events Director (Philippe Marchand), and Katharine Claringbull and we have started working on an outline. At a Foreign Residents’ Committee (of which I am a member and which gets me in contact with Mairie people) meeting, I mentioned the project to the Mayoresse  who was extremely interested and directed me to the person in charge of the commemoration events with whom I had a meeting. He actually suggested that we hold the event in the Salle des Rencontres with the Town Hall providing what they call a « pot de l’amitié » afterwards. This would definitely put Foal on the map and be a big plus in our search for permanent premises.

Whatever the venue, the date for this event is 23rd May so you can pencil it into your diaries. The event would take the form of a series of vignettes relating to the war, a quiz, WW1 songs  by the Ochoeur group, a slide show…… More nearer the time

 Comédie du Livre

For the 29th edition of the Comédie du Livre, literary festival, to be held on 23rd, 24th and 25th May 2014,
the City of Montpellier has decided to pay tribute to

Contemporary Nordic literature

During the three day event, some thirty Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and Finnish will be taking part in a very rich programme of meetings, round tables and lectures.

We are very fond of Jo Nesbo and were hoping he would be among the authors, unfortunately he is not but it might be possible to have a breakfast meeting with one of the authors as we did a couple of years ago. Will keep you informed.

 10 Best books of the decade

The Brief, Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

The Known World by Edward P Jones

The Corrections byJonathan Franzen

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

 Thanks to the determination of Art Fell, the above titles will soon be available alongside FOAL’s existing collection of the 100 Best Novels of the 20^th Century.  We also have other books by most of these authors in the library

FOAL

 

UPCOMING EVENTS 2014

 

The first event is a Musical Comedy at the Domaine d’O

 The Wings of Desire is coming to the Domaine d’O on 31st January 2014 at 8pm.

This high energy rock opera  (in English) is bighearted and poetic and also very contemporary. It has been staged at  most of Europe’s great venues.

The Wings of Desire is a loose adaptation of Wim Wenders’ 1987 film. The story starts in Berlin just before the wall comes down. Two angels keep vigil on mankind with an invisible and kindly presence. One of them, Daniel, dreams of experiencing real life and carnal pleasures. His meeting with Marion, a trapeze artist, encourages him to take the plunge.

In this deeply moving work, the director explores the themes of our  human condition, loss of identity, the search for happiness and freedom, all of which interact with the rock music.

On stage, five magnificent dancers and six excellent musiciens from the Belgian rock scene embody, with extraordinary energy, this great film classic with video screenings in the background.

The Wings of Desire is more than a rock opera in that it offers a rewriting of a dreamlike fantasy, a very high-level musical trip.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdTE7dd_iCo

 

Foal is happy to coordinate the purchase of tickets. Special Foal price 12 € (instead of 20€)

Send a check made out to Foal before 31 December to :

V Metherell 31 bis Avenue St Lazare Bât O 34000 Montpellier You will be able to pick up the tickets at the desk at the theatre.

 

The second event is our FAMOUS LITERARY QUIZ, (3rd edition) to be held on 28th February at the usual venue at Martin Luther King, 27 Bd Louis Blanc. Start of the evening at 6pm with drinks and nibbles. Quiz starts at 6.30pm

We ask for a small contribution (5 € per person in a discreet envelope) to be handed in on arrival. Let us know if you are coming with an email to : foal@dbmail.com so that we can organise quantities.

 

 

Later on, on 11th April in the afternoon, the Montpellier Académie is organising the semi-finals and finals of their debating competition (in English) with lycéens from around the area From what I have gathered, these will be formal debates along the lines of a university debating society. The event will take place at the CDRP, Allée de la Citadelle, not far from the Lycée Joffre. I am sure this will interest, among others, all us retired teachers and also those still working.

 

 

 

 

FOAL CHRISTMAS PARTY AND GRAND RAFFLE 13th December2013

The Foal Christmas Party for members is to be held on 13th December. It is not too late to join and take part in the draw for the splendiferous Raffle. Just send a mail to foal@dbmail.com for details

CHRISTMAS RAFFLE

INFORMATION ABOUT SOME OF THE KIND AND GENEROUS BENEFACTORS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED PRIZES TO THE  FOAL CHRISTMAS RAFFLE

·         6 bottles of wine from Domaine St Hilaire

Anne & Jonathan James have been running Domaine Saint Hilaire for the past ten years since they moved out to the Languedoc from London.

They make 11 different wines in a mixture of single cepage whites and blended reds, as well as running a luxury Chambre d’hôte which recently won the Romantic i-escape of the year.   

The Domaine now offers wine tastings, tours of the vineyard and winery, lunches and larger events such as weddings.

For photos and more information, visit the website at: www.domainesaint-hilaire.com

And whenever you come by to pick up some wine, make sure you make use of the FOAL 10% discount on all our wines.  

 

·         Fish and chips at the Beehive   15 rue du Plan d’Agde Tel 0966945371 Open 7/7 from midday

 

The best fish and chips in town!

 

·         Voucher from the Bookshop  8 rue du Bras de Fer   Tel 0467662290

 

·         Six more bottles of wine including:  

4 bottles of L'Eglantier - Clairette du Languedoc Moelleux du Domaine d'Adissan – 2009 and 2 bottles of Cour Saint-Vincent-Mille Pierres ACLC du Domaine de Saint Vincent de Babeyrogues - one 2006 and one 2007.

 

·         Two bottles of Gigondas 2009

 

·         Meal for two at the Grillardin (value 70 euros)

 

·         Five tickets from Utopia cinema

 

·         A « technique mixte » painting by Lionel Trace

 

·         Fitzpatrick’s have kindly donated a bottle of Irish whiskey and two Guinness polo shirts

 

·         Voucher for one for free entry to a leisure centre in the trees at Millau

 

·         Two pints of beer at The Shakespeare pub

 

·      Gift voucher worth 30 euros for a purchase at Sidney Carron (bijoux contemporains) Marina de la Roche  6 rue de l’Ancien Courrier Montpellier

 

·         Wine buff’s kit from ‘L’esprit du vin’

 

 

Ticket 1 euro                                                10 tickets for 8 euros

Given all the wonderful prizes, why don’t you buy tickets for friends ?

THE FOAL CATALOGUE IS NOW ONLINE: TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE 
Scroll down to middle of page to a small red PDF file and click on "télécharger le fichier"... hey presto !

Newsletter October 2013

OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER

We held our AGM in June, all is well, the finances of the association are healthy, thanks to your contributions and a small grant from the Town Hall.

The picnic at the Jonathon James vineyard was a great success, we think we might have it every year, the setting is sensational.

We spent an interesting evening at the new theatre at the Domaine d’O which was being inaugurated with a play by Peter Brook, “The Suit”

Another load of new books have arrived, you have already seen the list, lots of lovely reading for the short days which are on their way. In addition to the order which you have seen, we have ordered the first volume of Jane Gardham’s “Old Filth” trilogy, the second two are already in the library which is bursting at the seams. Your President is working very hard to find new premises, hopefully provided by the Town Hall.

The complete catalogue will soon be online on the FOAL blog which will entail going to the Foal website (friendsoftheanglophonelibrary.com), and clicking on “foal34”and then a link. Many thanks to Katharine Claringbull and Philippe Marchand for all the work they have put in to making this possible.

COMING EVENTS

·         We are hoping to organise an evening in November with the son of Janet Teissier du Cros, a Scotswoman who lived in the south of France and published her memoirs about World War II in the mid 50s. As the south wasn’t strictly speaking occupied territory and there have not been a lot of books written about this region during WWII. The book gives us a unique perspective on the difficult time she and her children traversed. Considered a classic when it first appeared the book was subsequently reprinted in the 1980's by the eminent Scottish publisher Stephanie Wolfe Murray, founder of  Canongate Books, who added a remarkable 'coda' by the eminent Edinburgh author Janet Adam Smith. The book is soon to be re-edited.  

            This will be a joint event with the AWG and the Bookshop. We will let you know the

            date as soon as possible.

 ·         Christmas Party for Foal members on the 13^th December

The party will take place at the Claringbull’s on Friday 13^th December. This might be a lucky day for some of you. We are organizing a TOMBOLA with some super presents, you will be able to buy tickets at the library from the beginning of November and also on the day. The Foal board is providing the liquid content, members will bring along sweet or savoury finger food which will be organized by Katharine Claringbull. (Katharine’s email provided on request to foal@dbmail.com to let her know what you are bringing)

·         In January there will be a Musical in English at the Domaine d’O. FOAL will organize the tickets. We don’t have a date yet but we will keep you informed.

 And finally…..

·         OUR FAMOUS LITERARY QUIZ will take place in February this year, more about that nearer the time

As you see, FOAL is as active as ever thanks to a very dedicated board and all our members and supporters.

NEW BOOKS FOR SEPTEMBER

FOAL is once again at the cutting edge of what's on in the English-language literary world, the selection of new books is very exciting: some new (to us) authors too and a good range of genres. If you would like to read all the relevant reviaws, send an email to foal@dbmail.com and we will send them.  Most of the books will be in the Library on 25th September; one or two will be published in October, you can't get more up to date than that!

Non Fiction

The Girl who loved Camellias                                   Julie Kavanagh

Flappers : Six women of a dangerous generation     Judith Mackrell

An Officer and a Spy                                                Robert Harris

 

Fiction

And the mountains echoed                                       Khaled Hosseini

Last Friends                                                              Jane Gardam

The Cuckoo’s calling                                                 Robert Galbraith (Rowling)

The White Princess                                                    Philippa Gregory

Big Brother                                                               Lionel Shriver

The Accursed                                                            Joyce Carol Oates

In times of fading light                                             Eugen Ruge

Memories of   a marriage                                          Louis Begley

(Crime and espionage)

Someone to watch over me                                       Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Police                                                                         Jo Nesbo

Cold Hearts                                                               Gunnar Staalesen

Saints of the Shadow Bible                                      Ian Rankin

The Red Road                                                                       Denise Mina

Red Sparrow                                                             Jason Matthews

Annual General Meeting 2013

FOAL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2013

 

The AGM took place on June 20th at 6pm at Martin Luther King, 29 Bd Louis Blanc

 1) The President's report

Foal Activities over the past year

We have had another busy year starting in December when Foal organised for a group of members to attend a play in English at the Domaine d‘O, « Tomorrow’s Parties »

Also in December we had a Christmas party for Foal members, the Claringbull’s kindly allowed us to hold it at their appartment in a lovely warm atmosphere, everyone brought food, the drinks were provided by the Foal Board.

In January we held our second Quiz, greatly enhanced with technology and a different format which allowed everyone to participate. I think we all appreciated this new format. Many thanks to Philippe Marchand, our Art director, and Katharine Claringbull. A lot of work goes into setting up the Quiz as I am sure you realise.

In February we had a wonderful play reading evening which was a smash hit. Lawrence McGuire and Kath Claringbull are consummate actors, Philippe Marchand and Caroline Di Miceli directed.

In April the Bookchat group organised another successful evening’s entertainment, Shards of Light, with readings, and singing provided by the Occoeur group. Another smash hit !

At the beginning of this month we organised a picnic and wine-tasting at the Jonathon James vineyard. The participants really enjoyed themselves and we might make this an annual event

Bookchat

The Bookchat meetings continue to be very popular. They are open to Foal members, but non-members can give it a try before joining the association. The summaries will soon be on the blog and Facebook page

The library itself

Although we are still in temporary premises, thanks to the Claringbulls we do have a home. I filed a dossier at the Town Hall last September asking for premises and, in order to put a foot in the Mairie, I applied to be a member of the Foreign Residents’ Advisory Committee. I have already made contact with several people.

We are able to order new books regularly.  The books have now been catalogued by Kath Claringbull and Philippe Marchand, the list will soon be available on the website and on our Facebook page.  Boundless thanks to them for having completed this arduous task.

When we do get permanent premises, we should be able to do a lot more, we could have a children’s section and widen our opening hours.

Summer library for tourists at Carnon

I made contact with the people in charge of the summer libraries at Carnon and Frontignan. I offered to donate 50 or 60 books, taken from the permanent Book Sale in exchange for Foal flyers to be distributed on site. I took two boxfuls of books to Pierres Vives in the hope that it will be a bit of publicity for Foal. Speaking of which, we did put an ad in one of the Diagonal programmes in the autumn and I think we should do a bit more advertising at « la rentrée ». I have left flyers at the Printemps des Comédiens, several of which I noticed the other evening have been taken.

Membership

Membership is now at about 45,  we have lost some and gained some. We have some very generous benefactors. When we get permanent premises, we will be able to have a real membership drive, in our current situation our offer is too limited to do this. We do have a young new member, Sarah Costlow, who is working on ways to increase membership, she will improve our Facebook page and website. She has already designed a new flyer.

Future Events

Two events in the works :

-          I have been informed that the Domaine d’O is hosting a play directed by Peter Brook called « The Suit » at the end of September, the 28th and 29th, a Friday and Saturday. I have printed out a brief summary which I will hand out later and which I will send to all the members and supporters so that we can decide which date suits us best.

-          In the autumn, I hope we will have a talk by Lynn Mitchell whom we met at the Comédie du Livre. She is a small publisher of new women writers and she now lives and works in the region.

I went on a special course 10 days ago to teach me how to improve my skills in filling out the application documents for a grant from the Mairie. I shall also apply to the Direction Régionale de l’Action Culturelle this year.

Finally, a surprise: I learnt today that we will receive 500 euros from the Mairie this year, less than last year, but I didn’t expect to get so much and it is still a useful sum.

 

2) Financial Report by Sunshine Erickson, Treasurer.

 Sunshine's accounting shows that we are in a healthy financial situation.

 Other matters discussed were:

-the proposed new flyer ( designed by Sarah Costlow) which met with general approval, subject to perhaps one or two small alterations, and the addition of the Montpellier logo.

 

-the Foire aux Associations, to be held on September 8th, at which it had previously been agreed that we wouldn't have a stand; however, the Franco-American Centre has kindly offered to display our flyers .

 

-Philippe Marchand outlined his and Edwin Hill's proposal for a Film Buffs' circle. This would consist of viewing films from the vast collection at the Mediathèque in a special room on their premises and being able to discuss same. This would be basically a film club with a tinge of culture to it. At first it would consist of the Book Chat members but would later expand.

 

 

-*********************

 

The meeting was followed by the partaking of wine and nibbles and a very pleasant time was had by all.