Parlez-vous français? Celebrating France & the French’ - Exhibition, Special Collections, Otago
Our new exhibition ‘Parlez-vous français? Celebrating France & the French’ begins in the de Beer Gallery, Special Collections, Central Library, University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ,
today, 15 September 2017. This exhibition offers a variety of books and manuscripts, ranging from early printings in
French, some on vellum (1524); books on the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King; plays by dramatists like Corneille and
MolieÌre; and works by Voltaire, including an original letter of 1752, to French food and fashion; works of a scientific
nature; travel; novels by Rabelais, Hugo, and Camus; and poetry by Baudelaire and Apollinaire. In addition, there are
maps of France (1816), Paris (1855), and smaller towns, and a suite of engravings of New Zealand birds drawn by French
artists. Except for a few items from private collections, all of the materials on display are from Special Collections.
The exhibition provides us with an opportunity to make known to everyone all the French language books that are in
Special Collections. It has also helped forge links with the French Department; the Honorary Consulate (Dunedin; Dr
Christiane Leurquin); the Alliance Française Dunedin; and other Francophiles.
The exhibition runs to 8 December 2017.
Venue: de Beer Gallery, Special Collections, 1st floor, Central Library, University of Otago
Hours: 8.30 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday