In any case it seemed impenetrable behind its austere, 17th-century facades on the Left Bank. It turned out that the academy had been trying, and failing, to fill one of four vacancies for some time. The academy has been around since 1634 and moves slowly. Luckily for me the academy was having one of its rare induction ceremonies, for a writer “recently” admitted — a year before. (The academy moves slowly.)

Source: New York Times March 06, 2019 09:56 UTC