Paris. One of the things I like to do when I’m in Paris (and elsewhere in the world) is to lose myself in bookstores, buy a new book, and sit on a terrace reading it. The truth is that since I learned to read I have stopped no more. Still, before I go to bed I always try, at least, to read a new chapter. I mean, reading is the closest any of us will ever be to experiencing so many other lives and so many other places. Reading is what they say, traveling without leaving the place. It’s building wings to our soul and imagination.

And if it is true that the language I most enjoy reading is Portuguese – how could it not be when we, Portuguese, have an Eça, a Fernando Pessoa or a Saramago? – I also like to read in other languages, as English or French. As I have already told you, reading is not only important to open our minds to other realities and making us smarter, but also to help us be better writers. And, I want to write the best I can no matter the language. Actually, it’s my job, I’m a fashion and digital marketing content writer.

With this being said,  when I was in Paris, I ended up buying Marguerite Duras L’amant de la Chine du Nord book. Actually, the choice was not random, as you might have guessed. Marguerite Duras is one of my favorite French writers, and although I have never read this book in Portuguese, it seemed like a good choice not to forget French. The plan is to read it in French and, if I enjoy it, read it also in my mother language.

So, when I was thinking about it I had the idea of sharing with you 3 French authors you really need to know. Of course, there are good authors of all nationalities and it is pretty clear that, inevitably, life is way too short to be able to read all the books one wants. But if you  are looking for a new book, or are just curious, here they are:

 . Marguerite Duras: Even though it may be a cliché, I really loved  “The Lover” and it is a book that I recommend to all those who enjoy a good reading. It is probably her best-known book but it is worth it not only for the story itself but above all for the heady way she writes.

. Émile Zola: I read “Nana” when I was a teenager and read it again years later, as an adult. Social criticism is mixed with a well-written story, making it one of the books I liked the most. It’s not the easiest reading in the world, but if you’ve never read it I highly suggest you to.

. Gustave Flaubert: Who has never heard of the famous “Madame Bovary”? This book is a landmark when talking about novels and realistic literature, and is part of those classic books written in the nineteenth century that, among bittersweet lines, criticize the society of the time in a very real way. If you’ve never read it, you totally have to.