This project involves students at the Lycée International Nelson Mandela summarizing and translating parts of the French novel "Les Enfants de Calliope" into English. The novel depicts a non-dystopian future in the year 2704 where environmental issues have been resolved. James McKay, who creates graphic novels about optimistic low-carbon futures, thinks the students' translation of this novel could provide positive ideas for building a sustainable future. Marie-Hélène Fasquel, a literature teacher at the school, thinks her students would enjoy translating the novel as a class project. They divide up the translation work among groups of students assigned to different chapters.

1. Lycée International
Nelson Mandela
Project about the French novel Les Enfants de Calliope
Nature and starting point

2. This project is the fruit of the
cooperation between:
James
McKay
Cyane
Marie-Hélène
Fasquel

3. The project: to summarise the French
novel Les Enfants de Calliope in English
The novel is divided into different parts and the students in
different groups; each group will summarise and translate its part.
Warning: the plot can be summarised but the description of the
future should be translated.

4. The starting idea (James McKay)
influences
 Issue: almost all anticipation books and movies are dark, negative or
pessimistic, they won’t help scientists to build a better future.
Science Art

5. James McKay*’s first project
*Centre Manager
EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Low Carbon Technologies
University of Leeds
“Dreams of a Low Carbon Future imagines the
UK in the year 2150 – as a sustainable, low-
carbon, prosperous society. It’s not a fantasy
utopia – there are still conflicts and political
problems: it represents a wildly optimistic but
plausible vision of where we might end up if we
can solve the problems resulting from climate
change impacts.”
With his PhD students, he made a graphic novel
entitled
Dreams of a Low Carbon Future

6. His latest project
“We’ve been working with lots of schools, science festivals and
community groups to find out their ideas and represent them,
as a way of getting lots of people involved with finding out
about the research that our scientists do at the University of
Leeds where I’m based.”
A graphic novel for adults, following some characters
in AD 2150.

7. Les Enfants de Calliope (Cyane)
The scene takes place in 2704, in a world where
our descendants succeeded in resolving our
current issues (pollution, global warming, species
extinction, etc.), but the decisions taken to solve
these issues have had an impact on their future:
they have a price to pay. In other words, this
future is optimistic, but not utopian.
Les Enfants de Calliope (“Calliope’s children”)
is one of the rare anticipation novels which
represents a non-dystopian future.

8. Marie-Hélène Fasquel
Lycée International Nelson Mandela, Académie de Nantes
“I'm an American OIB literature teacher and I've wanted
to become a teacher for 33 years! When I was 10 and
had my first teachers (one per subject): I loved it and
decided there was no better job in the world. I wanted
to teach and the older I got, the more I wanted that. Of
course, as a teacher, I wanted to change the world, to
help students live in a better one and grow and that's
why I choose topics such as "let's defend the
environment", "let's fight cyberbullying…”
Marie-Hélène

9. The combination
James McKay
“I’m sure your book Les Enfants de Calliope must be full of great
ideas, it’s a shame that I can’t read it. It would be great if your book
could be translated into English”
Cyane
“I know a sensational teacher of American literature in Nantes. I will
speak with her, she devises innovative projects with her students”
Marie-Hélène Fasquel
“Oh yes, it would be a great project for my students. They will adore
it.”

10. Partie Chapitre Nombre de page
% de volume à
conserver
Nombre d'élèves à
affecter (34 au total)
Groupe n°
I-Convergence
20 décembre 1985 J -5 p. 11 4 5%
2 1
Noël 1985 p. 15 6 5%
21 décembre 1985 J -4 p. 21 6 5%
Noël 1985 p. 27 8 5%
22 décembre 1985 J -3 p. 35 4 5%
Noël 1985 p. 39 12 5%
23 décembre 1985 J -2 p. 51 4 5%
Noël 1985 p. 55 8 5%
24 décembre 1985 J -1 p. 63 4 5%
Noël 1985 p. 67 4 5%
? p. 71 6 10%
II - Collision
Olympia p. 77 14 90% 5 2
Juliette p. 91 22 70% 6 3
Bilael p. 113 12 60% 3 4
Gabriel p. 125 12 50% 2 5
Athéna p. 137 12 50% 2 6
Calliope p. 149 6 20% 1 7
Kesler p. 155 12 20% 1 8
William p. 167 16 40% 2 9
Lucie p. 183 14 10% 1 10
III - Explosion
2704 p. 197 8 40%
2 11
Mai p. 205 6 10%
Mercredi 25 mai p. 211 14 40% 2 12
Jeudi 26 mai p. 225 6 5%
2 13Vendredi 27 mai - 7h15 p. 231 12 25%
Vendredi 27 mai - 17h05 p. 243 10 15%
Samedi 28 mai - 9h02 p. 253 10 5%
3 14
9h27 p. 263 16 10%
10h33 p. 279 4 5%
11h14 p. 283 14 5%
11h27 p. 297 4 5%
12h09 p. 301 10 10%
12h43 p. 311 4 10%
Renouveau p. 315 6 15%