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Bérénice 1934-44: An Actress in Occupied Paris is the debut novel of an important new voice in French literature, Isabelle Stibbe. Published in 2014, the book won nine literary awards in France, including the Prix Simone Veil, honoring a book that celebrates a woman of action.
We’re raising funds to pay for the translation of this exciting new novel. The two of us have devoted countless hours to this project, because we love this book, and because we know you’ll enjoy it as much as we have. But the expense of obtaining the rights to the French text meant that the publisher was unable to offer the translators any advance for our work.
We hope you will consider making a contribution to support the translation of this important new book.
—Renée Morel and Zack Rogow
Critical Praise for Bérénice 1934-44: An Actress in Occupied Paris
“This is an amazing first novel.”—Le Nouvel Observateur
“Isabelle Stibbe blends real history and fictitious characters in this well-researched first novel, with an impeccable classic style.”—Le Monde
“Bérénice 1934-44 is Isabelle Stibbe’s first novel, but the reader has the impression of reading the work of a seasoned writer, particularly in her masterful blending of fiction and historical fact.”—Le Figaro
“Her novel doesn’t just document a slice of French cultural life under the Occupation—it also communicates the passion and fervor of its author.”—Livres Hebdo
Bérénice 1934-44: An Actress in Occupied Paris by Isabelle Stibbe
translated from the French by Zack Rogow and Renée Morel
To be published by Peter Lang Publishing, 2019
Summary
Bérénice yearns to become an actress, but her parents insist that career is not proper for a girl. She defies her Jewish family to become the leading younger actress in the Comédie-Française, France’s most renowned theater, right when the Nazis occupy France. Bérénice hides her true identity and last name to avoid detection. Living in a world without tolerance and torn between two lovers, Bérénice must choose between her passion for the stage, and her allegiance to freedom and to her Jewish heritage.
About the Author
Isabelle Stibbe began her career in international law, and then became the director of publications at the Comédie-Française, and later at the Grand Palais. She served as the secretary general of the Athénée Théâtre Louis-Jouvet from 2011 to 2016. Stibbe taught at the Institute of Theater Studies at the University of Paris-III, and currently is the theater critic for the magazine La Terrasse. Bérénice 1934-44 is her first novel, published to critical acclaim in 2014. She subsequently published another work of full-length fiction, Les Maîtres du printemps.
About the Translators
Zack Rogow’s translations from French include works by Colette, George Sand, André Breton, and Marcel Pagnol. He received the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Award and the Northern California Book Reviewers Award in Translation. He is the author, editor, or translator of twenty books or plays. www.zackrogow.com
Renée Morel is a translator, native French speaker, and adjunct professor of French at City College of San Francisco. She lectures throughout the Bay Area on French culture, art, and civilization, from the Gauls to de Gaulle. Her translations include Shipwrecked on a Traffic Island and Other Previously Untranslated Gems by Colette, with Zack Rogow, published by State University of New York Press.
We’re raising funds to pay for the translation of this exciting new novel. The two of us have devoted countless hours to this project, because we love this book, and because we know you’ll enjoy it as much as we have. But the expense of obtaining the rights to the French text meant that the publisher was unable to offer the translators any advance for our work.
We hope you will consider making a contribution to support the translation of this important new book.
—Renée Morel and Zack Rogow
Critical Praise for Bérénice 1934-44: An Actress in Occupied Paris
“This is an amazing first novel.”—Le Nouvel Observateur
“Isabelle Stibbe blends real history and fictitious characters in this well-researched first novel, with an impeccable classic style.”—Le Monde
“Bérénice 1934-44 is Isabelle Stibbe’s first novel, but the reader has the impression of reading the work of a seasoned writer, particularly in her masterful blending of fiction and historical fact.”—Le Figaro
“Her novel doesn’t just document a slice of French cultural life under the Occupation—it also communicates the passion and fervor of its author.”—Livres Hebdo
Bérénice 1934-44: An Actress in Occupied Paris by Isabelle Stibbe
translated from the French by Zack Rogow and Renée Morel
To be published by Peter Lang Publishing, 2019
Summary
Bérénice yearns to become an actress, but her parents insist that career is not proper for a girl. She defies her Jewish family to become the leading younger actress in the Comédie-Française, France’s most renowned theater, right when the Nazis occupy France. Bérénice hides her true identity and last name to avoid detection. Living in a world without tolerance and torn between two lovers, Bérénice must choose between her passion for the stage, and her allegiance to freedom and to her Jewish heritage.
About the Author
Isabelle Stibbe began her career in international law, and then became the director of publications at the Comédie-Française, and later at the Grand Palais. She served as the secretary general of the Athénée Théâtre Louis-Jouvet from 2011 to 2016. Stibbe taught at the Institute of Theater Studies at the University of Paris-III, and currently is the theater critic for the magazine La Terrasse. Bérénice 1934-44 is her first novel, published to critical acclaim in 2014. She subsequently published another work of full-length fiction, Les Maîtres du printemps.
About the Translators
Zack Rogow’s translations from French include works by Colette, George Sand, André Breton, and Marcel Pagnol. He received the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Award and the Northern California Book Reviewers Award in Translation. He is the author, editor, or translator of twenty books or plays. www.zackrogow.com
Renée Morel is a translator, native French speaker, and adjunct professor of French at City College of San Francisco. She lectures throughout the Bay Area on French culture, art, and civilization, from the Gauls to de Gaulle. Her translations include Shipwrecked on a Traffic Island and Other Previously Untranslated Gems by Colette, with Zack Rogow, published by State University of New York Press.
Organizer
Zack Rogow
Organizer
San Francisco, CA