Antoine Guibal, professor at l’X, on American writers of the ‘lost generation’

Antoine Guibal, Chair of École Polytechnique’s Department of Languages and Cultures, taught as a visiting professor at Columbia University at the beginning of this 2024-2025 academic year. This visiting professorship occurred as part of the Alliance program, a transatlantic network of which École polytechnique is a longstanding member.

Actively involved in teaching at the international partner institution, Antoine Guibal delivered a course entitled ‘Writing the Expatriation’, focusing on American writers who had emigrated to Paris at the beginning of the twentieth century. These writers, who lived and worked in the French capital between the First and Second World Wars, were also known as the 'Lost Generation', in reference to the expression coined by Gertrude Stein. They include world-famous writers like Ernest Hemingway, Francis Scott Fitzgerald and John Dos Passos.

What were these writers of the ‘Lost Generation’ looking for when they decided to settle in the French capital at the time? Antoine Guibal discusses this question and more in a new episode of the Alliance transatlantic network's podcast ‘Vis à Vis’ and examines what they can teach us about the links between American and French cultures: In Search of the ‘Lost Generation’: American Writers in Paris

Dedication to the study of languages and the cultures of the world at l’X

École Polytechnique’s Department of Languages and Cultures (DLC), chaired by Antoine Guibal, offers courses in ten different languages and at different levels for students of the institution’s degree programs, ranging from the Ingénieur polytechnicien program to the Bachelor of Science and the various Master of Science & Technology programs.  
Based on the idea that a language can only be understood within specific cultural contexts, the high-quality courses offered by the DLC include strong cultural contents.

The Department of Languages and Cultures is not only committed to helping students learn the respective foreign languages, but the team also assists them as they plan to complete internships abroad. Every year, the DLC also organizes trips to other countries, including Italy, Germany or China.

Alliance Visiting Professorship

The Alliance program offers faculty members from its partner institutions - Columbia University, École Polytechnique, Sciences Po, and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University - the opportunity to participate in a transatlantic faculty exchange, strengthening ties between institutions and fostering collaboration on potential projects.

During their exchange, participants pursue their research, give lectures, and participate in seminars. The Alliance Visiting Professorship is also supported by the Fondation de l’École polytechnique.