France gave the world with unsurpassed masterpieces of philosophical thought, literature, and fine arts. Voltaire, Diderot, Camus, Balzac, Hugo, Dumas, Proust, Delacroix, Courbet, Millet, Manet, Monet, Renoir… The list of brilliant masters of pen and brush can go into infinity.
This is a country shrouded in a halo of romance and exquisite sophistication. Paris is the capital of the arts, a city that attracts the connoisseurs of everything beautiful.
By tradition, the July issue of Russian Mind is dedicated to France. It is in this month that the country celebrates its most important national holiday, Bastille Day.
We paid special attention to Alexandre Dumas father, whose 220th birthday is widely celebrated in his homeland. “The name of Alexandre Dumas is more than French, it is European. It is more than European, it is universal… From all his works, so multiple, so varied, so lively, so charming, so powerful, emerges the kind of light peculiar to France.” – wrote Victor Hugo on this great writer.
The relations between Russia and France have a long history dating back to the time of Yaroslav the Wise. Russian aristocrats in pre-revolutionary Russia were literally immersed in the French culture, and the French language became practically native for many of them. After the revolution of 1917, many representatives of the Russian nobility, scientists and writers chose to emigrate to France, which gave them the opportunity to live and create. In fact, a parallel layer of Russian culture was established there, enriching the culture of France as well.
