Wednesday, March 12th at 7:00 PM

The Dordogne is a particularly beautiful part of southwestern France, named for the river that meanders westward through it to the Atlantic Ocean. It’s known for its many chateaux, brooding over bends in the river, and charming medieval and renaissance towns like Bergerac, Cahors, and Sarlat, and the dramatic pilgrimage site of Rocamadour.

Its proximity to the important wine-growing areas of Bordeaux contribute to the locals’ love of fine cuisine, which in this part of France makes good use of duck, truffles, foi gras, walnuts, freshwater fish, and local cheeses.

Join Wakefield Library reference Jeff Klapes, the “Traveling Librarian,” for a lecture focusing on the culture of the Dordogen region.

Please call the library at 978-774-0554 to register to attend or do so online.

Try one of these titles before–or after–this event:

Paris was the Place – Susan Conley
“From acclaimed author Susan Conley, a novel that gives us a luminous emotional portrait of a young woman living abroad in Paris in the 1980s and trying to make sense of the chaotic world around her as she learns the true meaning of family. Conley has written a piercing, deeply humane novel that explores the connections between family and friends and reaffirms the strength of the ties that bind.”

Blood Royal – Eric Jager
“On a chilly November night in 1407, Louis of Orleans was murdered by a band of masked men. The crime stunned and paralyzed France since Louis had often ruled in place of his brother King Charles, who had gone mad. As panic seized Paris, an investigation began. In charge was the Provost of Paris, Guillaume de Tignonville, the citys chief law enforcement officer, and one of history’s first detectives. As de Tignonville began to investigate, he realized that his hunt for the truth was much more dangerous than he ever could have imagined.”

Paris to the Past: Traveling Through French History by Train –
Ina Caro
“Through twenty-five one-day train trips, the author describes outings spanning seven hundred years of French history, including Orléans, Versailles, Place de la Concorde, and Saint-Denis.”

Coming April 22, 2014:

Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932 – Francine Prose
“Paris in the 1920s shimmers with excitement, dissipation, and freedom. It is a place of intoxicating ambition, passion, art, and discontent, where louche jazz venues like the Chameleon Club draw expats, artists, libertines, and parvenus looking to indulge their true selves. It is at the Chameleon where the striking Lou Villars, an extraordinary athlete and scandalous cross-dressing lesbian, finds refuge among the club’s loyal denizens, including the rising Hungarian photographer Gabor Tsenyi, the socialite and art patron Baroness Lily de Rossignol; and the caustic American writer Lionel Maine. As the years pass, their fortunes—and the world itself—evolve. Lou falls desperately in love and finds success as a race car driver. Gabor builds his reputation with startlingly vivid and imaginative photographs, including a haunting portrait of Lou and her lover, which will resonate through all their lives. As the exuberant twenties give way to darker times, Lou experiences another metamorphosis— sparked by tumultuous events—that will warp her earnest desire for love and approval into something far more.”