Books, music, cinema… Our selection of gifts for culture lovers to offer at Christmas
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In cultivation
Annie Ernaux
baptized write life, the volume explores the central themes of Annie Ernaux’s work. A brick that captures the twelve texts that built his fame and led him to the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Galliard Quarto, 1,084 pages, €32.
Marcel Proust
Family photos, class photos, notebooks, manuscripts, paintings… From photo to photo, this beautiful book reconstructs the life of the author of In Search of Lost Time. Looks nice.
Mireille Naturel, Michel Lafon, 191 pages, €29.
Audiolib Books
A market leader in audiobooks, Audiolib offers a massive catalog of novels, essays, thrillers, personal development guides read by talented actors. Among the novelties are The resilience of the predator by Maxime Chattam Dear asshole by Virginie Despentes (read by Béatrice Dalle!), The book of sisters by Amélie Nothomb, Billy Summers by Stephen King, but also The one who doesn’t care by Marcel Proust read by André Dussollier. On CD in bookstores or for download on the site.
Audiolib CD. The resilience of the predator, €24.45. Dear asshole, €24.45. The sisters’ book, €18.90. Billy Summers, €26.90. The indifferent, €9.60. www.audolib.fr
Divine Symmetry
“Hunky Dory”, Bowie’s masterpiece released in 1971 (with Changes, Life on Mars?) reissued with unreleased demos, live from the era, artist’s work notes and a gorgeous 100-page book.
Box 4 CD/1 Blu-ray, Parlophone, €125.
50th Anniversary Harvest
Neil Young dug into the great archives to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of one of his most famous records. The box set includes the original album, a previously unreleased concert from 1971 (audio and video), three previously unreleased tracks and the two-hour production of Harvest Time. The vinyl version (with two bonus 45s) costs around 150 euros.
CD + DVD set, Reprise/Warner, €45.
Barbara – The Complete
This new box adds to the complete published in 1992 not only unreleased and live recordings but also remastering of his discs. A limited and numbered edition is illustrated with paintings by Marc Duran.
29-CD set, Mercury, €220.
Etienne Daho – A Secret Book
Filled with well-known and never-before-seen photos, this book is an object of devotion to the glory of an artist who always knows how to combine discretion and style. A biography in pictures, a visual maze in the middle where the “secret Leaf” is hidden.
Sylvie Coma, La Martinière, 384 pages, €50.
Top gun
The 1986 classic, along with its excellent sequel, is one of the biggest boxes at the box office this year. Maverick is old but he still has a vengeance on the ground and in the air. Great entertainment.
DVD or Blu-ray box, Paramount, €35 and €40.
Philippe R. Doumic – The eye of the cinema
In the 1960s, he captured young French cinema in the making. Alain Delon’s pout, Catherine Deneuve’s Demoiselles de Rochefort period, Belmondo and Jean-Luc Godard’s… Almost 200 shots that went around the world, rediscovered from the pen of the photographer’s daughter.
Capricci, 240 pages, €39.90.
casablanca
The Michael Curtiz classic in an ultimate box. In addition to the Blu-ray and 4K UHD editions, an avalanche of bonuses (making of, analysis, influences, etc.), as well as a 32-page book containing press clippings from the period. Play it again, Sam!
Collector’s box, Warner, €43.
Kinuyo Tanaka
Actress turned first post-war filmmaker, the cult Kinuyo Tanaka is honored in this set of six restored films: Love Letter (1955), The Moon Has Rise (1956), Eternal Motherhood (1951), The Wandering Princess (1960), Women’s Night (1961), Mademoiselle Oga (1962). A wonderful portrait of Japanese society.
Box of 6 Blu-ray films, Carlotta Films, €65.
Devialet speaker
This relatively portable high-fidelity speaker delivers 360° stereo sound and has a refined design that references the gilt motif of the Paris Opera.
Devialet Mania, Paris Opera Edition: €990. www.devialet.com
