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Crossword news: I have spoken before of Eric Westbrook’s programme of crosswords for the blind. The next big crossword event is going to feature one of the 3D crosswords whose proceeds go to the BBC’s CiNA (Children in Need)

A 3D Bloggers and Setters in Cheltenham – August 6th

The next Bloggers and Setters get-together will be held in Cheltenham on Saturday August 6^thstarting at 1.00 pm – venue to be decided and details to follow.

A range of prize puzzles in both 2D and 3D will be available to fill in the gaps between refreshment and conversation, but the Premier Event will be

“The All-England RNIB 3D Crosswords Cup”

This will include a very brief introduction and a warm-up round to get into 3D gear.

There are three categories of entry – individual, pairs and teams. If you enjoy solving in good company and are slightly worried about the 3D aspect, why not consider being in a pair or a team? This will be great fun. The Cup will be presented for the fastest (correct!) solution of the main puzzle. Winners of the two slower categories will receive an appropriate momento of the occasion.

The competition will be run in such a way as to guarantee a fair result within two hours of serious fun. This will be the first time for such a competition and your participation and feedback will be greatly valued.

It would be of great assistance to the organisers if you could indicate your interest to attend in an email to Eric Westbrook. ericwestbrook@btinternet.com

It would be brilliant to see you in Cheltenham.

Crossword No 62, French Literature! by Chalicea

General knowledge this week – a test for your knowledge of French literature. If you prefer to work on the interactive version, click on this link that will take you to the Crossword Compiler website.

Across

1 French novelist and critic; defender of Dreyfus (1840-1902) (4)

3 Formerly the houses and offices of landdrosts (8)

9 Of or relating to an Egyptian River or the people living near it (7)

10 A triangular piece of cloth inserted into a skirt, for example, to make a flare (5)

11 The small group of Quechua living in the Cuzco Valley in Peru who established hegemony over their neighbours in order to create an empire that lasted from about 1100 until the Spanish conquest in the early 1530s (5)

12 Of a mathematical system based on nine (6)

14 Failure or absence of digestive function (6)

16 A young South African thug (6)

19 A member or supporter of the remnant of the Long Parliament (6)

21 A kitchen utensil used for handling soft foods by extruding them through small holes (5)

24 People who take drugs (5)

25 A novel in Geneva – not typical of the capital of Italy (2,5)

26 Onyx marble (8)

27 A domestic slave in Anglo-Saxon times (4)

Down

1 An island in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa; part of the United Republic of Tanzania (8)

2 Any of various plants of the genus Syringa having large panicles of usually fragrant flowers (5)

4 French advocate of Jansenism; tragedian who based his works on Greek and Roman themes (1639-1699) (6)

5 French playwright, novelist, and screenwriter, author of Bonjour Tristesse (5)

6 French philosopher who was a leading figure of the Enlightenment in France; principal editor of an encyclopaedia that disseminated the scientific and philosophical knowledge of the time (1713-1784) (7)

7 Evil Egyptian god with the head of a beast that has high square ears and a long snout; brother and murderer of Osiris (4)

8 Drooping of the upper eyelid caused by muscle paralysis and weakness (6)

13 More aromatic and acid tasting than oranges; used in beverages and marmalade (8)

15 French writer and aviator best remembered for his novella The Little Prince (7)

17 French writer and existentialist philosopher (1905-1980) (6)

18 French novelist (1871-1922) (6)

20 The Jewish feast of the Passover (5)

22 French writer who portrayed the human condition as isolated in an absurd world (1913-1960) (5)

23 French poet and novelist and dramatist; leader of the romantic movement in France (1802-1885) (4)

Here is last week’s solution:

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