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It is in the intimacy of The Hoxton Paris hotel that we invite you to meet on Thursday June 14 to meet the bright and warm Fanny Auger, founder of The School of life .
Passionate about literature, she dusts off the art of conversation and gives meaning to each encounter, exchange or discovery. Enough to sublimate your oral presence...
To participate in this meeting, register directly here . After the draw, 10 big winners will be contacted by the Balzac Paris team.
The Balzac Paris team invites you to discover its universe in an exclusive interview:
Fanny, can you introduce yourself in a few words?
I have 2 passions in life, which have always stimulated and boosted me: culture, and transmission. Everything I do goes in this direction!
As a child, I dreamed of being a teacher, to share my passion for literature, philosophy, poetry with my students. After studying literature, I worked for a dozen years in fashion and luxury, in Paris, Dubai, then Milan. I loved these experiences, but I was missing something... And finally, I decided 6 years ago to return to my first love, and embark on the entrepreneurial adventure! Since then, I have been a cultural entrepreneur: I founded an epistolary start-up, Lettres d'un Inconnu, launched a small school for adults, The School of Life Paris , wrote a book, Trêve de Bavardages, and lots of other projects.
How did your passion for "conversation" come about?
Conversation is what makes us grow, mature, change our relationship to the world and to others. It makes us more tolerant, smarter, more human. I have always been passionate about exchanges, about the connection that connects two human beings immersed in a conversation. Remaking the world until the hour, brainstorming, discussing, debating, laughing…. This is how you forge your unique personality, as well as how you relate to the world and to others.
Can you explain the history of The School of Life to us?
4 years ago, I founded The School of Life Paris. It's a small school for adults where you learn everything you don't learn at school! And there are so many essential things that we should learn but that no one teaches us: love, work, friendship, human relationships... How to find a job you love, how to be more creative, can love last forever…? Culture, philosophy, art, science, literature offer us incredible insight into these contemporary subjects, and then, as we are among adults, we exchange and converse a lot during these fun evening classes. It happens at Elephant Paname, in the 2nd several times a month. Today, we also work a lot in companies to develop the emotional intelligence of employees, stimulate their creativity, their energy, and their soft skills.
What do your courses at The School of Life consist of?
It is a mixture of cultural, philosophical, artistic, but living inspirations. We discuss, we debate, we exchange, we play... The teachers I choose are philosophers, start-uppers, lawyers, actors, DJs, clowns, artists, photographers, writers, only passionate and bright personalities, who have a real desire to transmit. We evoke Aristotle and Woody Allen, Vermeer and the Bauhaus, Tolstoy and Ella Fitzgerald, all this with permanent exchanges between the participants. Learn, grow, cultivate while having fun, I believe in it a lot!
Fanny, we qualify you as a passionate and luminous person. What are your secrets for breathing good humor?
I have ups and downs, like everyone else: entrepreneurship is a roller coaster! But I try to focus on what's going. Keeping a fresh look at things and the world, marveling at little things, rejoicing to be alive, smiling... I also have my little rituals, which give me roots and wings: meditating a few minutes in the morning about the day to come, stop at the counter of a café in the morning to have a coffee in a few minutes, write little cards to my friends, write a few words in the evening, read, learn things every day news. I really like to ask myself, to take time for myself. It is fundamental to be well, and then better reach out to others.
What inspires you on a daily basis?
What inspires and motivates me every day is learning new things all the time. By my readings, by my encounters, my conversations, by my friends, and by strangers. Every day, I wonder what the day has in store for me, what new I will learn. Curiosity is a great driving force!
An artist ?
I admire many, it's hard to choose.
I would say Nicolas de Staël, my favorite painter. I am hypnotized by the strength that emanates from his paintings, his colors. The first time I saw “Le Concert” at the Center Pompidou in 2003, I fell head over heels. I went to see the exhibition 4 times as I couldn't tear myself away from it.
I also greatly admire Marina Abramovic, who pushes the limits of the physical and the mental through her experiences.
And finally, in a more contemporary way, I am a big fan of photographer Jamie Beck (@annestreetstudio) whom I have followed for years on the networks. She sees Provence in such a poetic way, as only foreigners can see it. And his still life photos are worthy of the great Flemish masters. I recommend everyone to discover his work, of a dreamlike poetry.
A book ?
It's hard to name one, as my world has been shaped by books!
If I have to choose, it's The Conjuring of Fools, by John Kennedy Toole,
A brilliant and whimsical novel that made me laugh until I cried. The perfect book to slip into your suitcase! In addition, the history of this book is poignant: the author toured publishing houses for years to publish what he considered to be his masterpiece. Tired of fighting, he committed suicide in 1969, at the age of 31, desperate and exhausted. It was his mother who continued to solicit publishers, and finally succeeded in having it published in 1980. He received the Pulitzer Prize (posthumous) in 1981. The title is inspired by a quote from Jonathan Swift placed as an epigraph: "When a true genius appears in this world, one can recognize him by this sign that the imbeciles are all in league against him."
A person ?
People.
My friends
I am lucky to be surrounded by extraordinary people. I'm not very “group of friends”, but I pulled the jackpot of friends! They all have in common to be brilliant, benevolent, demanding, super-active people who encourage me, inspire me and boost me on a daily basis. They will recognize each other, but my closest friends are serial entrepreneurs, jewelry designers , writers, magazine editors, artists, restorers, architects, and so many others… It's my own “pzazz” club!
A good address?
My favorite store in Paris is Deyrolle. Below, the most beautiful garden utensils of the Prince Jardinier. Upstairs, a cabinet of curiosities where I like to stroll for hours. Otherwise, to eat (I love good food!), an address in my neighborhood, Pigalle: at PUCE , 1 rue Chaptal, Paris 9th. Tasty tapas-style dishes to share with friends. And of course, the LIZA (14 rue de la Banque, 75002 Paris), the best Lebanese in Paris: everything is homemade , fresh, succulent, the setting is superb, and the atmosphere very warm, a magical mix between Beirut and Paris, my two favorite cities.
Upcoming projects?
A lot, it's my dynamo!
I want to start my podcast, I've been talking about it for 3 years, but I try to do one thing at a time to make it right. So it's an exclusive, but it will be released at the start of the school year: a sparkling, cultural, and conversational podcast, to feed, inspire, shake up and reboost.
To follow via my Instagram, @sassyfanny
To participate in this invitation, come and register directly here to try your luck.
Fanny, can you introduce yourself in a few words?
I have 2 passions in life, which have always stimulated and boosted me: culture, and transmission. Everything I do goes in this direction!
As a child, I dreamed of being a teacher, to share my passion for literature, philosophy, poetry with my students. After studying literature, I worked for a dozen years in fashion and luxury, in Paris, Dubai, then Milan. I loved these experiences, but I was missing something... And finally, I decided 6 years ago to return to my first love, and embark on the entrepreneurial adventure! Since then, I have been a cultural entrepreneur: I founded an epistolary start-up, Lettres d'un Inconnu, launched a small school for adults, The School of Life Paris , wrote a book, Trêve de Bavardages, and lots of other projects.
How did your passion for "conversation" come about?
Conversation is what makes us grow, mature, change our relationship to the world and to others. It makes us more tolerant, smarter, more human. I have always been passionate about exchanges, about the connection that connects two human beings immersed in a conversation. Remaking the world until the hour, brainstorming, discussing, debating, laughing…. This is how you forge your unique personality, as well as how you relate to the world and to others.
Can you explain the history of The School of Life to us?
4 years ago, I founded The School of Life Paris. It's a small school for adults where you learn everything you don't learn at school! And there are so many essential things that we should learn but that no one teaches us: love, work, friendship, human relationships... How to find a job you love, how to be more creative, can love last forever…? Culture, philosophy, art, science, literature offer us incredible insight into these contemporary subjects, and then, as we are among adults, we exchange and converse a lot during these fun evening classes. It happens at Elephant Paname, in the 2nd several times a month. Today, we also work a lot in companies to develop the emotional intelligence of employees, stimulate their creativity, their energy, and their soft skills.
What do your courses at The School of Life consist of?
It is a mixture of cultural, philosophical, artistic, but living inspirations. We discuss, we debate, we exchange, we play... The teachers I choose are philosophers, start-uppers, lawyers, actors, DJs, clowns, artists, photographers, writers, only passionate and bright personalities, who have a real desire to transmit. We evoke Aristotle and Woody Allen, Vermeer and the Bauhaus, Tolstoy and Ella Fitzgerald, all this with permanent exchanges between the participants. Learn, grow, cultivate while having fun, I believe in it a lot!
Fanny, we qualify you as a passionate and luminous person. What are your secrets for breathing good humor?
I have ups and downs, like everyone else: entrepreneurship is a roller coaster! But I try to focus on what's going. Keeping a fresh look at things and the world, marveling at little things, rejoicing to be alive, smiling... I also have my little rituals, which give me roots and wings: meditating a few minutes in the morning about the day to come, stop at the counter of a café in the morning to have a coffee in a few minutes, write little cards to my friends, write a few words in the evening, read, learn things every day news. I really like to ask myself, to take time for myself. It is fundamental to be well, and then better reach out to others.
What inspires you on a daily basis?
What inspires and motivates me every day is learning new things all the time. By my readings, by my encounters, my conversations, by my friends, and by strangers. Every day, I wonder what the day has in store for me, what new I will learn. Curiosity is a great driving force!
An artist ?
I admire many, it's hard to choose.
I would say Nicolas de Staël, my favorite painter. I am hypnotized by the strength that emanates from his paintings, his colors. The first time I saw “Le Concert” at the Center Pompidou in 2003, I fell head over heels. I went to see the exhibition 4 times as I couldn't tear myself away from it.
I also greatly admire Marina Abramovic, who pushes the limits of the physical and the mental through her experiences.
And finally, in a more contemporary way, I am a big fan of photographer Jamie Beck (@annestreetstudio) whom I have followed for years on the networks. She sees Provence in such a poetic way, as only foreigners can see it. And his still life photos are worthy of the great Flemish masters. I recommend everyone to discover his work, of a dreamlike poetry.
A book ?
It's hard to name one, as my world has been shaped by books!
If I have to choose, it's The Conjuring of Fools, by John Kennedy Toole,
A brilliant and whimsical novel that made me laugh until I cried. The perfect book to slip into your suitcase! In addition, the history of this book is poignant: the author toured publishing houses for years to publish what he considered to be his masterpiece. Tired of fighting, he committed suicide in 1969, at the age of 31, desperate and exhausted. It was his mother who continued to solicit publishers, and finally succeeded in having it published in 1980. He received the Pulitzer Prize (posthumous) in 1981. The title is inspired by a quote from Jonathan Swift placed as an epigraph: "When a true genius appears in this world, one can recognize him by this sign that the imbeciles are all in league against him."
A person ?
People.
My friends
I am lucky to be surrounded by extraordinary people. I'm not very “group of friends”, but I pulled the jackpot of friends! They all have in common to be brilliant, benevolent, demanding, super-active people who encourage me, inspire me and boost me on a daily basis. They will recognize each other, but my closest friends are serial entrepreneurs, jewelry designers , writers, magazine editors, artists, restorers, architects, and so many others… It's my own “pzazz” club!
A good address?
My favorite store in Paris is Deyrolle. Below, the most beautiful garden utensils of the Prince Jardinier. Upstairs, a cabinet of curiosities where I like to stroll for hours. Otherwise, to eat (I love good food!), an address in my neighborhood, Pigalle: at PUCE , 1 rue Chaptal, Paris 9th. Tasty tapas-style dishes to share with friends. And of course, the LIZA (14 rue de la Banque, 75002 Paris), the best Lebanese in Paris: everything is homemade , fresh, succulent, the setting is superb, and the atmosphere very warm, a magical mix between Beirut and Paris, my two favorite cities.
Upcoming projects?
A lot, it's my dynamo!
I want to start my podcast, I've been talking about it for 3 years, but I try to do one thing at a time to make it right. So it's an exclusive, but it will be released at the start of the school year: a sparkling, cultural, and conversational podcast, to feed, inspire, shake up and reboost.
To follow via my Instagram, @sassyfanny
To participate in this invitation, come and register directly here to try your luck.