going to france again
January 9th, 2007 | Uncategorized
Or coming to France again, depending on your orientation. I just updated my ‘appearances‘ page with a little info about my upcoming trip. I’ll be doing stuff in Paris and Tours before arriving at the Angoulême Comics Festival on Jan. 26th.
23 Responses to “going to france again”
Alison,
Will you be participating in the Improvisation Contest at the Angoulême Comics Festival? That sounds truly wild–kind of a cross between a Monster Truck Match, a Poetry Slam, and Muppets on Ice!
While you’re in Angoulême you should really go to the Brigitte Fontaine concert (on the 27th), she’s amazing.
This is sooo wonderful. What will it be like to be the SUBJECT of a conference? … Wow … hearing lengthy academic takes on DTWOF and FH … Have you ever been in that position before? Is there any way to record the proceedings (at least the audio portion) and get it on the web?!? I am dying to listen to these women expound these topics.
Safe travels and bon voyage, Alison!
Man, everybody’s going to Angouleme this year but me.
Ann S.,
Of course, most of those presenters would be presenting in French, so then we’d need simultaneous translation.
(Maybe they will have an interpreter? )
You know, those scholars did not waste much time. The book has only been in print a few months, right? (Or has time flown so fast that a year has gone by and I just did not notice?)
Although Virginia Woolf (and others) tended to write literary reviews (to pay the rent…or in Virginia’s case, perhaps to pay the maid…) of books hot off the press, so I suppose this is not so unusual. But wow! How fabulous. Perhaps all their papers will be published in some journal soon and we can read them then. (In French.)
All I know is, I would love to hear Anne Crémieux: (“New covers, different messages? Comparing the first and second editions of the Dykes to Watch out For.”) has to say. It sounds a bit ominous, don’t you think? I mean, the text and graphics of the actual book have not changed, even though the die cut on the cover got the axe.
It is all too tantalizing.
p.s. M.C.,
I am not going to Angouleme. (No $$, plus I don’t even know where it is…) You and I can stay home and toast everyone’s health. And with any luck there will be a webcast.
oh dis-donc! je suis tellement jalouse!!!
translation:man, I’m jealous!
have a fabulous trip, Alison!
Wow … Institut Charles V … très sérieux ! 🙂 … Très, très sérieux.
Don’t forget the Hergé exhibit at the Pompidou Center.
It feels good to know you’ll be on this side of the ocean for a while.
🙂
Hi Alison, such great news!!
Have a good trip!
(and fingers crossed, I’ll try to make it)
Safe journeys and bon voyage!
Have a great trip and wonderful time. Send us lots of pictures if you get the time.
Make sure to get a pastry at Ladurée – They have several shops, one on the Champs Elysées…
They have this pastry that I call The Rose Bomb. It must have 22 ingredients in it, from a profiterole on the bottom to a rose petal on top.
The chocolate things are good too, but the rose pastry is so good, it made me forget how much I love chocolate.
There’s a nice video on YouTube called “Google earth (the truth about)” set in Paris.
Bon Voyage, Alison!
Fantastically surreal to see the French “Fun Home” cover art.
i just checked the appearances page and i see you’re scheduled to come to new york in february. i wasn’t able to attend your reading when you were here on your fun home tour, so i hope i can make this next one. is it a comics convention? any more information you can share about it?
This is radical. Maybe someday people will doing their Masters in Bechdel Studies. Bechdelogy. Bechdelligraphy. Bechdelomancy.
I’ve always been curious about the specifics of DTWOF’s translation history, AB. Aside from the Finnish “Suck My Llama” edition, we’ve only known of individual comics of DTWOF that got translated into French, Spanish, Japanese, etc. Which books were selected and how well did they do on the market? Does this say anything about regional differences in lesbian sensibilities?
I wish my Mandarin was good enough to attempt a translation of “Post-Dykes to Watch Out For” into “Zhu Yi Wei Xian! Hou Xian Dai Nu Tong Zhi Lai Le!”.
I could soon write a book about trying to get a copy of Fun Home.
1. Called to the independent bookstore in town and asked the lady to order me Fun Home. She had to go to the hospital to deliver a baby before she had time to register my order and the girl working there now has no authority to order books abroad.
2. Sent e-mail to a friend studying in France asked her to by it. She did but her roommate who was just leaving the country liked it so much that she took it with her.
3. Contacted my ex who is 1/2 American and askedn him to ask her mom to by it for me for Xmas.
She did but sent me the gift, ment to her sister by mistake, I liked the cake too and her sister loved the book.
Wish I had the credit card I could order wia Internet.
Don’t visit the Eiffel Tower! It’s far too phallic and far too over-rated. Same for the Louvre. It’s just a bunch of paintings, for chrissakes!
Now, there’s a McDonald’s near the Arch of Triumph. Go in, order some fries, a large wine (no ice), and really experience France!
AnnaP: I got my copy of Fun Home used on Ebay, paying with PayPal (the seller was a bookstore). I think you don’t need a credit card for PayPal, but I am not sure. My copy was like new and is even signed, though of course there’s no guarantee the signature isn’t fake. It doesn’t look so new anymore :-). This, after going crazy like you for several months.
I’m off to Paris in early February, missing Alison by 2 weeks. dammit. I kinda feel like running away on the train in time for the 24th but I’m not sure my supervisors would be too impressed with 2 mid-term escapes (hey, need they ever know…?)…
Alison, I think a trip to the dark north of provincial Britain is in order for next time. Birmingham, for all its reputation, ROCKS.
Juliet
Why am I on this blog instead of writing my presentation about the DTWOF covers? Or maybe I could start a post about it and everyone could write it for me, I’m sure it would be way more interesting!
When I was asked if I wanted to talk at Charles 5, I thought exactly what Ng Yi-Sheng did about academic work on DTWOF and other Bechdelanean art – and also: why didn’t I think of it? And in case anyone wants to write their thesis on it, I want to be their advisor! I know that at UT Austin, Ann Cvetkovitch taught Fun Home this semester. Now I wish I taught that class instead of American history…
But to answer your question, only a few DTWOF were translated into French, the first couple ones I believe. They did not do very well, in my opinion partly because they were not very well translated… Fun Home is really well done I think, I don’t know how well it’s selling. I think DTWOF is very American, meaning it refers a lot to American politics and such, but it’s also very rooted in American culture, with issues concerning family for instance that do not really correspond to what happens in European families, whether regarding homosexuality specifically, or just relationships in general. But then again, everyone’s watching the L-Word, and we don’t all live in the L-city! I do think marketing and the quality of the translation are key. So Alison, if you’re looking for a good translator, I can recommend one (and it’s not me).
OK, back to work (maybe)
Please please please Alison… Please stop by Paris !
There are a couple of queer bookshops (even a Madwimmin-ish one, “Violette & Co”). Maybe a public signature could be arranged ? (heck, a private signature would be OK. Could you autograph my copy of funhome ?) 😉
Anik =:)
OK I’ve just checked some previous entries of your blog.. Not only do you know all there is to know about Violette & Co but you were apparently all over Paris a few months back. Argh ! To say I haven’t missed a single edition of the October lesbian film festival but last year, and *you were there* signing books. *Arrrgh*
I’ll go find a rock to hide behind, now.
=:(