Les Fourmis (The Ants) trilogy is a three-part novel series by French novelist Bernard Werber.
Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, also known as CountMaeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911 "in appreciation of his many-sided literary activities, and especially of his dramatic works, which are distinguished by a wealth of imagination and by a poetic fancy, which reveals, sometimes in the guise of a fairy tale, a deep inspiration, while in a mysterious way they appeal to the readers' own feelings and stimulate their imaginations". The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life. He was a leading member of La Jeune Belgique group and his plays form an important part of the Symbolist movement. In later life, Maeterlinck faced credible accusations of plagiarism.
Auguste-Henri Forel was a Swiss myrmecologist, neuroanatomist, psychiatrist and eugenicist, notable for his investigations into the structure of the human brain and that of ants. He is considered a co-founder of the neuron theory. Forel is also known for his early contributions to sexology and psychology. From 1978 until 2000 Forel's image appeared on the 1000 Swiss franc banknote.
Myrmeciinae is a subfamily of the Formicidae, ants once found worldwide but now restricted to Australia and New Caledonia. This subfamily is one of several ant subfamilies which possess gamergates, female worker ants which are able to mate and reproduce, thus sustaining the colony after the loss of the queen. The Myrmeciinae subfamily was formerly composed of only one genus, Myrmecia, but the subfamily was redescribed by Ward & Brady in 2003 to include two tribes and four genera. An additional three genera, one form genus, and 9 species were described in 2006 from the Early Eocene of Denmark, Canada, and Washington. Subsequently an additional fossil genus was moved from the family Rhopalosomatidae in 2018, and a new genus was described in 2021.
Bernard Werber is a French science fiction writer, active since the 1990s. He is chiefly recognized for having written the trilogy Les Fourmis, the only one of his novels to have been published in English. This series weaves together philosophy, spirituality, science fiction, thriller, science, mythology and consciousness.
The Ant and the Grasshopper, alternatively titled The Grasshopper and the Ant, is one of Aesop's Fables, numbered 373 in the Perry Index. The fable describes how a hungry grasshopper begs for food from an ant when winter comes and is refused. The situation sums up moral lessons about the virtues of hard work and planning for the future.
Cigale is a divertissement-ballet in two acts by Jules Massenet to a scenario by Henri Cain. It was composed in Égreville during the summer of 1902, first published by Heugel in 1903 and first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 4 February 1904.
Les Fourmis is a 1991 science fiction novel by French writer Bernard Werber. It was released in English as Empire of the Ants. The book sold more than two million copies and has been translated into more than 30 languages. It was also taken to video game format.
L'Encyclopédie du savoir relatif et absolu or Livre secret des fourmis. English: The Encyclopedia of Absolute and Relative Knowledge
Yves Meynard is a Canadian science fiction and fantasy writer. He writes in both English and French.
Le Jour des fourmis is a 1992 science fiction novel by French writer Bernard Werber. It is the second novel of La Saga des Fourmis trilogy (also known as La Trilogie des Fourmis, preceded by Les Fourmis and followed by La Révolution des fourmis.
Benoît Pilon is a francophone Canadian director and screenwriter particularly noted for his innovative films and documentaries on the human condition. He is also the co-founder of "Les Films de l'autre" productions, which produces, promotes and helps the development of independent films throughout North America.
Charles Janet was a French engineer, company director, inventor and biologist. He is also known for his left-step periodic table of chemical elements.
Jean de La Fontaine collected fables from a wide variety of sources, both Western and Eastern, and adapted them into French free verse. They were issued under the general title of Fables in several volumes from 1668 to 1694 and are considered classics of French literature. Humorous, nuanced and ironical, they were originally aimed at adults but then entered the educational system and were required learning for school children.
Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants is a 2013 French-Belgian adventure family war comedy live action animated film based on the television series Minuscule. The film was written and directed by series creators Hélène Giraud and Thomas Szabo. It is a sound film with a synchronized soundtrack featuring music and sound effects and with little to no spoken dialogue. It won the César Award for Best Animated Feature Film at the 40th César Awards. A sequel, Minuscule 2: Mandibles from Far Away, was released on January 30, 2019.
Les Animaux modèles, FP 111, is a ballet dating from 1940 to 1942 with music by Francis Poulenc. It was the third and final ballet that he composed and was staged at the Paris Opéra in 1942, with choreography by Serge Lifar, who also danced in the 1942 premiere. The themes of the ballet are drawn from the Fables of Jean de La Fontaine.
Bernard Henri Maris, also known as "Oncle Bernard", was a French economist, writer and journalist who was also a shareholder in Charlie Hebdo magazine. He was murdered on 7 January 2015, during the shooting at the headquarters of the magazine in Paris.
Iridomyrmex obsidianus is a species of ant in the genus Iridomyrmex. Described by Carlo Emery in 1914, the species can only be found in New Caledonia.
Céline Baril is a Canadian artist and film director.