Madeleine Bertaud

This text explores the nostalgia for the happiness attributed to humanity’s Golden Age – spaces that writers have suggested did not disappeared, but continue to exist in a real, but distant, space. This study explores many of the varied and complex narratives concerning these territories, from the 1st century BCE writings of Horace on the Fortunate Islands to the exotic destinations offered by 21st century global tourism

Born in China in 1929, François Cheng belonged to a scholar family. When he arrived in Paris at the age of 19, he did not speak French. Nevertheless, he soon decided to become a French writer and, even more, a French poet. Learning his second country’s language and western culture took him several decades. Nor did he forget any of his native background. A hard intellectual and spiritual process enabled him to master both and join them in an exceptional symbiosis. 31 years after his naturaliz ...