Category: French Culture Con-Man Kurniawan Exits Prison then Vanishes From the Public Eye

In June of 2019, I wrote about Rudy Kurniawan, Extraordinary Forger of Fine Wine. Kurniawan’s story is told in the documentary film, Sour Grapes, and in an award-winning book, In Vino Duplicitas. In short, he was a young and charismatic wine dealer who scammed wealthy wine collectors out of millions…
Evangeline, Longfellow’s Epic Poem and its Remarkable French Translation
The Paris Attacks of November 13 and One Psychiatrist’s Confession

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Paris attacks that took place across the city in 2015. That evening, suicide bombers and gunmen with automatic weapons carried out 6 separate attacks including one inside the Bataclan Theater where a rock concert was underway. 130 people were killed and 413 wounded.…
October Potpourri: Ghosts, Gags, Galleries and More Unexpected Distractions
Juliette Drouet; The Lonely Life of Hugo’s Devoted Mistress

Two weeks ago, I wrote about a love letter that Victor Hugo wrote to his mistress, Juliette Drouet, shortly after fleeing France to live in exile. In that post, I remarked that over the course of their impressive 50-year relationship, Juliette penned roughly 20,000 letters to the storied author. It’s…
A Love Letter from Exile, Victor Hugo to Juliette Drouet
Le Périphérique, Congested Beltway Of Paris To Become Greenspace
Con-Man Kurniawan Exits Prison then Vanishes From the Public Eye

In June of 2019, I wrote about Rudy Kurniawan, Extraordinary Forger of Fine Wine. Kurniawan’s story is told in the documentary film, Sour Grapes, and in an award-winning book, In Vino Duplicitas. In short, he was a young and charismatic wine dealer who scammed wealthy wine collectors out of millions…
Evangeline, Longfellow’s Epic Poem and its Remarkable French Translation
The Paris Attacks of November 13 and One Psychiatrist’s Confession

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Paris attacks that took place across the city in 2015. That evening, suicide bombers and gunmen with automatic weapons carried out 6 separate attacks including one inside the Bataclan Theater where a rock concert was underway. 130 people were killed and 413 wounded.…
October Potpourri: Ghosts, Gags, Galleries and More Unexpected Distractions
Juliette Drouet; The Lonely Life of Hugo’s Devoted Mistress

Two weeks ago, I wrote about a love letter that Victor Hugo wrote to his mistress, Juliette Drouet, shortly after fleeing France to live in exile. In that post, I remarked that over the course of their impressive 50-year relationship, Juliette penned roughly 20,000 letters to the storied author. It’s…