Articles By Claire Berlinski

La Comédie humaine: Va voir un psy

The French are nuts for Ça va. They think it’s “cruel and profound in its drôlerie.”

La Comédie humaine: Robot, soldier, lunatic?

Julien got it anyway. It was a robot thing. He had a terrific robot accent.

La Comédie humaine: Mot de passe

My journey to the savage heart of French culture was well underway.

La Comédie humaine: Plus fort!

Now, we were to greet each other—whispering, so no one could cheat—by name. Whrookay.

La Comédie humaine: Tonguetwister

Stage actors need perfect elocution.

La Comédie humaine: Bright lights

“WHRROA-kay,” he said. “Now, walk in a paranoid spirit.”

La Comédie humaine: How to Act

I wished my mom were still alive. She knew all about auditions.

La Comédie humaine: Entrée

This sounded great. “Sign me up!” I said.

La Comédie humaine: Introduction

I mention all this prefatory to the story of enrolling myself in French acting lessons.