The ISFAR (Institute for the Study of French-Australian Relations), the RMIT University and Alliance française de Melbourne are pleased to announce that the next Melbourne Salon will be held in-person on Wednesday 26 October 2022 at The Oxford Scholar Hotel (Level 1), 427 Swanston St, Melbourne (RMIT University Tram Stop 7; Melbourne Central train station).

The Melbourne Salon offers a place for Francophones and Francophiles to engage in French-Australian cross-cultural dialogues. Talks are usually in English with subsequent discussions in French or English.

Dr Alexis Bergantz will talk about ‘’Finding French books and talking literature in nineteenth century Australia’’. He will explain howthe difficulty to  access  French books negatively impacted the dissemination of knowledge of French literature well into the twentieth century, in spite of an appetite of the strong cultural Francophilia at that time.

Aexis Bergantz is a lecturer in Global & Language Studies at RMIT University.  He co-chairs the Research Committee of the Institute for the Study of French-Australian Relations (ISFAR) and his first book, French Connection: Australia’s Cosmopolitan Ambitions (NewSouth, 2021) recently won the 2022 NSW Premier’s Australian History Award.l

This event starts at 6:30 pm and lasts until 8:30 pm. Booking is essential, and you can do it here.