L'Illustration, No. 3251, 17 Juin 1905

A keen‑eyed foreign correspondent writes from Paris, where the latest “immortal” of the Académie française has just been elected. The chatter about Etienne Lamy is everywhere, yet most Parisians have never met him. She recalls spotting the diminutive, bearded scholar a decade earlier on a French caravan through Kairouan, where his polite manners and lively conversation left a lasting impression amid a parade of renowned geographers, historians and writers.

From that memory she muses on the opaque criteria that decide who joins the esteemed academy, hinting at the subtle mix of friendships, reputation and hidden influences that shape such choices. Meanwhile the city buzzes with its seasonal finish—exhibitions at the École des Beaux‑Arts, a whimsical cat show in Neuilly, and the shifting moods of the Bois de Boulogne as summer gives way to autumn. The narrator’s observations blend travel reminiscence with a witty critique of Parisian cultural life, inviting listeners into a world of literary intrigue and urban charm.