Le bonheur de passer un weekend a Paris

A truly marvellous and unforgettable weekend in Paris. An almost non-stop flood of intense exeperiences, both cultural and otherwise...

On Saturday evening, I was invited to see a short play called Judith written by Howard Barker staged at the Theatre Nanterre-Amandiers on the outskirts of Paris. Barker is known as a proponent of the 'theatre of tragedy', asserting that "tragedy liberates language from banality," and that "it returns poetry to speech." The play was based on the biblical story of the legendary heroine Judith who seduced, and then decapitated general Holofernes in order to save her city. As is apparently often the case with British tragedies (including Shakespeare's), the  story contains a number of comical and absurd elements. There is also some very strong language, and one mildly outrageous necrophillic scene to spice up the otherwise quite thought-provoking dialogues. The performance was in French, followed by a lively discussion with Mr. Barker himself. In response to various questions, he admitted, among other things, his fondness for situations where a difficult choice is imposed on an individual by extreme circumstances - such as war or catastrophy - often leading to a situation of incertitude and moral confusion. His tragedies, including Judhith, also seem to address the consequences that such decisions may have...

On Sunday, I went to see an exhibition called 'Venise et l'Orient' at the Institute of the Arab World, focusing on  the complex interrelationships between  medieval Venice and the muslim powers of the day, namely the Mameluks and the Ottoman Empire.

The rest of my stay was devoted to wandering around the streets (including an obligatory walk along the Seine), observing the atmosphere and architecture around me, watching ice-skaters in front of l'Hotel de Ville, as well as enjoying meals, drinks, and stimulating conversations in cafes around Le Marrée, spending some precious time with people I haven't seen for a long
time...