Charles Forsdick

"As always, Ros Schwartz rises to the challenge of providing an elegant translation. #VeniceRequiem was a thought-provoking read that made a great start to my African reading this year" - About my novel, translated by @rosschwa.bsky.social @hoperoadpublish.bsky.social annabookbel.net/two-shorter-...

What a viral speech in Ireland reveals about colonial history and Caribbean English Linguists say reaction to Irish TD’s remarks reflects shared regional English roots and enduring impact of empire

What a viral speech in Ireland reveals about colonial history and Caribbean English

www.theguardian.com/news/2026/ma...

SHAPE Conference 2026 The British Academy's annual SHAPE conference will be held in London on 4 March 2026.

The Arts and Humanities Alliance is proud to sponsor the 2026 @britishacademy.bsky.social SHAPE conference. Our session is Myth busting for the public with @ritagardner.bsky.social @jennyrichards.bsky.social & @sebgordon1.bsky.social
Chair @emmacayley.bsky.social www.eventbrite.com/e/shape-conf...

‘When universities mattered: Higher education in a country addicted to the plough’ by Stephen Garton There was a time when Australian universities mattered. Should they again?

www.australianbookreview.com.au/abr-online/c...

“If Australia has no one doing deep doctoral-level research on China, Russia, Indonesia, and a host of other polities and cultures, how will we grasp the nuances of these nations to craft our foreign policy and safeguard our national security?”

‘I felt betrayed, naked’: did a prize-winning novelist steal a woman’s life story? The long read: His novel was praised for giving a voice to the victims of Algeria’s brutal civil war. But one woman has accused Kamel Daoud of having stolen her story – and the ensuing legal battle ha...

Who has a right to tell someone’s story? Interesting read on Kamel Daoud’s novel Houris and the woman whose lived experience may have been stolen. www.theguardian.com/books/2026/f...

Dissonance patrimoniale, réparation mémorielle : la « Table de désorientation », un contre-monument décolonial à Nancy

theconversation.com/dissonance-p...

My cultural awakening: an Eddie Izzard routine inspired me to learn French – and get a job with the EU Being able to understand the comedian talking in French in his Dress to Kill show led to me learning several languages and working on the continent

www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...

Forthcoming in April: "The Essential Senghor: African Philosophy and Black Aesthetics", edited by Doyle D. Calhoun, Alioune B. Fall, and Cheikh Thiam @dukepress.bsky.social. Includes Senghor’s critical & philosophical writings spanning from 1937 to 1985 www.dukeupress.edu/the-essentia... #Senghor

Graphic to promote the journal 'French Studies': Navy blue text reads ‘Publishing articles and reviews spanning all areas of the subject, including language and linguistics, literature, thought and the history of ideas, and cultural studies’. Journal cover for French Studies sits to the right of the text. The cover is a warm cream with a rich red uppercase font for the journal's title. A red line sits under the title and under that the table of contents is listed in a small black font. The Liverpool University Press logo sits in the left corner, it features a dark red minimalist swoosh which represents the Liver Bird, text underneath reads Liverpool University Press founded 1899. The Society for French Studies logo sits alongside. The logo is made up of a coral-coloured circle, a blue square, and a gold triangle which overlap to create a purple colour. In the background sits a soft lilac graphic with light grey lines running in different directions.

We are pleased to share that David Evans is the new General Editor of French Studies, succeeding Martin Crowley after seven years. We thank Martin for his leadership.
An interview with Crowley & Evans in French Studies Bulletin is free to read this January➡️bit.ly/FS-Editor
@frenchstudies.bsky.social

A moment that changed me: in the bombed-out ruins of an apartment block, I saw a book I’d translated The sight of my work, torn and singed but still legible, made me realise the importance of translating and protecting stories – so they remain when everything else falls away

“To translate is not just to haul stories across languages, but to help them remain when everything else falls away. It is a quiet, stubborn refusal to disappear.”

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

WEEKEND READING: The 2025 Immigration White Paper and its impact on international teacher recruitment and retention in MFL and Physics - HEPI This blog was kindly authored by Juliette Claro, Lecturer in Education at St Mary’s University Twickenham and Co-chair of the UCET Special Interest Group in Supporting International Trainee Teachers i...

'One of the most consequential changes [in the September 2025 Immigration White Paper] is the reduction of the Graduate Visa route from 24 to 18 months, which directly undermines the ability of international trainees to complete their Early Career Teacher (ECT) induction.'

Migrants are at the heart of our art, our music, our whole history. That’s what the right won’t admit to you | Rowan Williams From Britain’s medieval buildings to western pop and contemporary art, these creations showcase our interwoven stories, says former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams

Migrants are at the heart of our art, our music, our whole history. That’s what the right won’t admit to you

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

‘The hidden engine room’: how amateur historians are powering genealogical research Wealth of datasets compiled as private passions are now a goldmine for those hunting for their ancestors

Over 24 years, Louise Cocker has captured almost half a million Norfolk Gravestones. ‘As a result, she has produced a remarkable dataset… which experts consider one of the most comprehensive photographic records of gravestones and memorials in England.’
www.theguardian.com/education/20...

How the French fell in love with family-driven memoirs and autofiction | Anne-Laure Pineau Matriarchs, absent fathers and troubled childhoods: 2025 was the year French literature focused on family, says writer Anne-Laure Pineau

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Ukrainian refugee leaves UK sixth-form college that urged her ‘to study Russian’ Kateryna Endeberia says teachers made the ‘hurtful’ request when she had difficulty with other subjects

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

Algeria passes law declaring French colonisation a crime France’s rule over Algeria from 1830 to 1962 is marked by mass killings and large-scale deportation

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

Thrilled to share that "Venice Requiem", the #translation of my #novel by Ros Schwartz is coming out on Feb. 5 with @hoperoadpublish.bsky.social ! Deeply grateful to Ros for her exceptional work & to my publisher Pete Aryton. Many thanks to @oliviasnaije.bsky.social & Raphaël Thierry! bit.ly/4pFcEUY

Linguists start compiling first ever complete dictionary of ancient Celtic More than 1,000 words used as far back as 325BC to be collected for insight into past linguistic landscape

Linguists start compiling first ever complete dictionary of ancient Celtic

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Actually - based on substantial evidence - perhaps an even better headline would be

“Glasgow is a super smart city. Fact.”

Majority also speak Scots as mother tongue and first language

Read UNESCO report to find out why bilingualism is best for everyone

unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/p...

Rockets, gold and the Foreign Legion: can Europe defend its frontier in the Amazon? | Alexander Hurst It borders Brazil, but French Guiana is now a remote outpost of the EU. It is home to Europe’s only spaceport, some of the most biodiverse forest on the planet and a military mission that is testing t...

Rockets, gold and the Foreign Legion: can Europe defend its frontier in the Amazon?

www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

UK aims to secure agreement to rejoin Erasmus student exchange scheme Britain quit EU programme after Brexit, when Boris Johnson claimed it did not offer good value for money

UK aims to secure agreement to rejoin Erasmus student exchange scheme

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Shaping a Brighter Future The first event in our Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Lecture Series, delivered by Hetan Shah, Chief Executive, The British Academy

Are you worried about the devastating cuts we are seeing to arts, humanities & social sciences in UK universities? Last call for my lecture in Leicester this Thurs 27th Nov on the value of these subjects and how they support UK security, cohesion and prosperity www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/shaping-a-...

The uncompromising politics of Jimmy Cliff The reggae singer used his music to speak out at issues that mattered.

The uncompromising politics of Jimmy Cliff

theconversation.com/the-uncompro...

The procession of university language closures will trip up UK diplomacy The government needs to signal its demand for elite foreign language skills before more universities leave provision to inferior alternatives, says Ian Proud

The procession of university language closures will trip up UK diplomacy www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/proc...

Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican reggae singer, actor and cultural icon, dies aged 81 Star of The Harder They Come had hits including You Can Get It If You Really Want and I Can See Clearly Now

Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican reggae singer, actor and cultural icon, dies aged 81

www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...

University of Nottingham considers axing language and music degrees Total of 48 degrees could disappear from Russell Group institution, with falling revenues and rising costs blamed

University of Nottingham considers axing language and music degrees

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Ce que les statues coloniales dans l’espace public racontent de la France Retour sur l’histoire des statues coloniales, à l’occasion de l’installation à Nancy d’un « contre-monument » face à la statue du sergent Blandan, figure de la colonisation française en Algérie.

Ce que les statues coloniales dans l’espace public racontent de la France

theconversation.com/ce-que-les-s...

Call for Scottish Government to review foreign language provision Key Scottish companies and young Scots are losing out due to the spiralling decline in school leavers with language qualifications, a leading…

Call for Scottish Government to review foreign language provision

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2559839...

A very insightful article on the recent threats to UK modern languages:

www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/late...

Support the petitions to stop the closures at Leicester and Nottingham, to sign click here:

www.change.org/p/save-moder...

www.change.org/p/stop-the-r...

#languages #mfl

David Bellos, traducteur et grand spécialiste de Georges Perec, est mort L’universitaire britannique avait publié en 1994 une biographie décisive de l’écrivain français. Il avait aussi retrouvé deux manuscrits que l’auteur lui-même croyait perdus. Il s’est éteint le 26 oct...

David Bellos, traducteur et grand spécialiste de Georges Perec, est mort

www.lemonde.fr/disparitions...