On February 21st 1944, 23 members of the French Resistance were executed by the German occupation army. Before his execution, Missak Manouchian, one of the resistants, wrote a poignant letter to his beloved wife Mélinée. This tragic episode and its love letter inspired French poet Aragon one of his heart-wrenching poems "Strophes pour se souvenir", celebrating the lives of these 23 heroes. In 1961, this poem was turned into a moving song, "L'Affiche rouge", by French singer Léo Ferré, song then covered beautifully by Feu! Chatterton during the 2024 ceremony celebrating the heroes' entry to the Pantheon.
After listening to the song, scroll down for the transcript in our bilingual reader, where you can click any French phrase for the English translation and related grammar lessons.
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- More French reading practice
