Rendez-vous at the British Library - Afternoon
British Library, London.
"Rendez-vous at the British Library": 6 December 2024
Afternoon symposium: Collections in French at the British Library
To conclude a year of celebrations of the Entente Cordiale 120th anniversary, enjoy an afternoon of exploration of the wealth of collections in French at the British Library. Listen to acclaimed author Michel Pastoureau, and renowned academics, writers, and translators talk about their current research and projects based on manuscripts and printed collections in French; hear Curators talk about their work, discover hidden treasures, and seize the chance to visit out of hours the newly opened Medieval Women exhibition. There will be the opportunity to see two pop-up exhibitions in the Knowledge Centre: “Postcards for Perec”, curated by Linda Parr, and “When Marianne and Britannia met”, curated by Guillaume Périssol and Charlotte Faucher. The event will be followed by a separate event introduced by the French Ambassador, with the chance to hear Professor William Marx, from the College de France, talk about “The World Library”, with a remote introduction by Kate Mosse.
More information about Rendez-vous at the British Library - Afternoon tickets
Afternoon symposium: Collections in French at the British Library
The Pigott Theatre
Knowledge Center, British Library
96 Euston Rd, NW1 2DB
12:45:13:10: Registration
13:10-13:15: 13:10-13:15: Introduction (Dr Sophie Defrance, Curator, Romance Collections, The British Library, Dr Florence Ferran, Deputy Head of the Higher education, research, innovation department, French Embassy)
13:15-14:15: France and United Kingdom Entente cordiale
Chair: Dr Charlotte Faucher (University of Bristol)
Michel Pastoureau (École Nationale des Chartes, director of studies at École pratique des Hautes Études): “Les origines britanniques du drapeau français”.
Aude Monie (Doctoral student, Université Paris-Cité, Maison Francaise d’Oxford month scholarship): “Stories behind stitches: a comparative history of clothes repair between France and Britain in the late nineteenth century”.
Lightning talks:
Richard Morel (Curator Philatelic collections), “Stamps as a chronicle of Franco-British relations”.
Dr Guillaume Périssol (Head of the Médiathèque, Institut Francais du Royaume-Uni): Short presentation of the exhibition on “When Marianne and Britannia meet”.
14:20-15:20: France and beyond
Chair: Professor Catriona Seth (Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature, University of Oxford)<
Dr Clare Siviter (Associate Professor in French Theatre, University of Bristol): “Establishing critical editions and studying plays across borders and languages”.
Professor Clare Finburgh-Delijani (Deputy Director of the Centre for Comparative Literature, Goldsmiths University of London): “The French Revolutionary Tracts Collection, and French Theatre Today”.
Lightning talks:
Ruth Hansford (Programme Manager, EAP): “The Endangered Archives Programme: collaborations that cast light on France's former colonies”.
Daniel Lowe (Curator for Arabic collections): “Bandes dessinées from Southwest Asia and North Africa: examples from Lebanon, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco at the British Library”.
Dr Alex Fairfax-Cholmeley (Senior Lecturer, History, University of Exeter): “'Discovering and reading print networks of the 1790s on slavery, revolution and emancipation'?”
15:20-15:45: Break tea/coffee sponsored by the French Studies Library Group (FSLG stand)
15:45-16:20: Making connections through translations – roundtable
Chair: Ros Schwartz (Literary Translator and Co-director of Bristol Translates Summer School.)
Margaret Morrison (Translator and researcher)
Helen Vassallo (Associate Professor of French and Translation, University of Exeter)
Rebecca Servadio (London Literary Scouting)
16:25-17:00: Artists' books
Chair: Mark Storey (Private collector and Trustee of the Friends of the Nations’ Libraries).
Dr Dennis Duncan (Associate Professor in English, University College London): “Raymond Roussel’s portable peepshow”.
Linda Parr (book artist and writer): “Postcards for Perec: the book and project”.
Jeremy Jenkins (Curator, Contemporary British & Irish Published Collections): “La Prose du Transsibérien and Kitty Maryatt’s re-creation”.
17:10-17:45: Manuscripts, archives, and Middle Ages
Chair: Jamie Andrews (Director of Public Engagement, The British Library)
Isabel Maloney (Doctoral student, Faculty of Modern and Medieval languages, University of Cambridge) : “The First Guide to French Manuscript Collections at the BL.”
Sara Charles (Book historian, University of London): The Medieval Scriptorium.
Dr Justin Croft (antiquarian bookseller): ‘Diane de Bournazel: a contemporary devotion’
Dr Eleanor Jackson (Lead Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library and Lead Curator of the Medieval women exhibition): “Introduction to the exhibition “Medieval women” and working with French institutions”.
17:50-18:25 Private visits of the “Medieval Women: In Their Own Words” exhibition or relax in the Knowledge Centre foyer