What does it take to be seated sous la coupole today? Not what you'd think. The bar for induction into the Academie francaise has dropped to a new low.
Take the latest "immortal"-- he's the lyricist and screenwriter Jean-Loup Dabadie, voted in on April 10th. Le Monde mocked the selection, calling Dabadie a "saltimbanque." Well-- what has this fellow done to merit being chosen? He did write a couple of novels (one at the age of 17) and several screenplays for Claude Sautet and others. But apparently he's best known for the 300 songs he "authored" (as they phrase it in the Academie's press release). The lyrics were written for Juliette Greco, Serge Reggiani, Nana Mouskouri, Jean Gabin, Yves Montand, and ("inevitably," according to TLS) Johnny Halliday. The secretary of the Academie claims that they are just moving with the times. Movement can be up or down, of course. So what's happening here? Is it possible that this downward droop is in fact a reflection of the notoriously lowbrow taste of France's new president?
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