Albertine－充满法国文化味道的书店；与数学大师对话

姐姐一家来纽约度周末。周日下午一起去了在79街第五大道的Albertine, Books in French and English. 这是法国大使馆文化部对纽约的贡献，汇集法文和英文出版物开的书店。2014年9月26日刚刚开放。书店有两层楼，店堂不大，但布置的非常法国化。我们在书店逗留了一个多小时，买了几本书后去了对街的中央公园，散步半个多小时后又回到书店。下午三点有一讲座，是著名的美国数学家、诺贝尔经济奖得主John Nash(电影“A Beautiful Mind""美丽心灵”就是讲他的故事)和法国2010年Fields Medal (菲尔兹奖)得主Cédric Villani的非正式对话：Mathematical Styles & the Process of Discovery. 非常有意思。这个书店有常年的各类讲座，主题涉及文化、医学卫生健康、时装、历史、现时政治经济国际局势，等等，几乎无所不包，免费向公众开放。这绝对是一个学习的好去处。

镶在大理石墙上的门牌：

书店是开在法国大使馆文化服务部在纽约的办事处大楼，一进门厅，就是雍容华贵的大理石地面，墙壁，门廊，石柱和雕像。



在侧面，有两小间布置成法国革命前皇室的展览室。

充满法国味道的书店店堂。


 

典型的法国蓝和法国黄，太美了！想像一下坐在这样的屋顶和灯光下阅读是件何等赏心悦目的事。




在中央公园散了一会儿步。我永远走不厌拍不尽的公园：









当天下午三点在Albertine的讲座：Mathematical Style & the Process of Discovery. 两大国际数学界巨人 － 著名的美国数学家、诺贝尔经济奖得主John Nash Jr. (电影“A Beautiful Mind""美丽心灵”就是讲他的故事)和法国2010年Fields Medal (菲尔兹奖)得主Cédric Villani的非正式对话，非常有意思。由法国驻美使馆文化参赞主持。小小的厅里挤满了听众，连两边暖气片上都坐满了，后面还有不少人站着。对话进行了一个多小时，有由主持人提问两位嘉宾回答，也有两嘉宾互相问答，最后听众提问。Cédric Villani非常会表达，与常人想象中木纳的数学家大相径庭。他最近刚出版了一本书“Theory of Life/Life in Theory",法文版；英文版2015年出版。

我们回到书店，正遇到John Nash Jr.和他夫人抵达：



我们回到书店二楼，穿过走廊进入讲座大厅。



窗外秋色渐浓：



对话开始，精彩继续：





John Nash Jr.



Cédric Villani，非常法国人！





后来买到了这位法国数学大师的亲笔签名的书：





以下是关于Albertine, Books in French and English 以及Festival Albertine 的信息：






www.albertine.com

以下来自它的网站：

Tucked inside the historic Payne Whitney mansion, Albertine is the only reading room and bookshop in New York devoted solely to books in French and English with more than 14,000 contemporary and classic titles from 30 French-speaking countries.

 

A project of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, the Albertine bookshop brings to life French-American intellectual exchange. The space reflects its belief in the power of literature and the humanities to increase understanding and friendship across borders, and in the power of books as a common good for a better world. In this spirit, Albertine hosts free debats and discussions exploring popular and classical culture through a modern and global lens.

Albertine is housed in the official landmark Payne Whitney mansion in Manhattan. In 1902, former Standard Oil Company treasurer Oliver Hazard Payne commissioned the Italian Renaissance mansion as a wedding gift to his nephew Payne Whitney. Between 1902 and 1906, Stanford White, the famed architect of the Washington Square Arch, designed and oversaw construction of the mansion. Since 1952, the mansion has housed the Cultural Services of the French Embassy. The bookshop within the mansion was born in 2014, and its interiors were created by celebrated French designer Jacques Garcia (Chateau du Champ de Bataille in Normandy, France and The NoMad Hotel in New York City).

 

Albertine’s ceiling is painted with a mural of constellations and planets inspired by the ceilings of Lorenzo de Medici created in the 1500s that capture “the knowledge of the world.” View photos of the ceiling painting in progress here. Busts of great figures from French and French-American culture including Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, Tocqueville and Descartes will be on display.

 

The centerpiece of the entrance of the building is a replica of Michelangelo’s Young Archer. The original had been in the lobby of the mansion for decades until it was discovered to be a Michelangelo in 2009. To our knowledge, it is the only Michelangelo statue on American soil. It is currently on loan at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.