I just read a brilliant book entitled "1000 Years of Annoying the French" written by British author, ho lives currently in Paris - Stephen Clarke. Why that tile?
As we can read on the back cover the author breaks down the myths that created a national identity of the French and he tells us a real story about what happened from 1066. Clarke asked himself: "One of the most frequent questions I get when doing readings and talks is: why is there such a love-hate relationship between the French and the Brits? (...) I realize that any book that gives a balanced view of history is going to irritate French people a lot. So I’m really sorry, France, but the 1,000 years of being annoyed by les Anglo-Saxons aren't over yet …"
We can find that Jeanne d'Arc was betrayed by French, that bubbles in champagne we can owe to Mr Merret (Briton) and a guillotine (Halifax) was invented in England. During reading I couldn't stop laughing - Clarke use popular, almost "speaking" style of writing, using all the time irony and lards his book with British humor. In fact, he shows a real historic facts, that sometimes can be cliché in our belief.
I present you a nice interview from France 24 (yes, it's in English!) with Stephen Clarke and I truly recommend you this book! Voila!
A review from The Daily Mail : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/article-1258399/How-English-invented-champagne-facts-guaranteed-infuriate-French--1-000-YEARS-OF-ANNOYING-THE-FRENCH-BY-STEPHEN-CLARKE.html
Aaand my own copy in Polish :)
