So much of today’s media focuses on issues that divide us. I thought this week I’d take a break from conflict and breeze through a topic that most of us, regardless of political leanings, can embrace: the fables of the French poet, Jean de La Fontaine. Between 1668 and 1694,…
Sick of American politics? Check out the chaos in France. In the immediate wake of crushing losses for his centrist party during June’s European Parliamentary elections, President Emmanuel Macron went rogue by dissolving the Assemblée nationale (the equivalent of our House of Representatives) and calling for a snap election. Macron’s…
This Sunday marks exactly one year since I learned of the American artist Faith Ringgold while roving around Paris. After returning home, I wrote about the special exhibit at Le Musée Picasso that introduced me to her work. She died last week at age 93. So this week, I thought…
The truth can be painful, especially for those dedicated to revealing it. French political cartoonist, Corinne Rey aka Coco, must once again worry about her safety. Last month, one of France’s leading newspapers La Libération posted a controversial drawing by Coco on its X (formerly Twitter) feed. The drawing is…
A skeptic at heart, I’m not one to believe in providence or good luck but whenever I’m in Paris, the number of happy coincidences I experience seems improbably high. For example, last December, after visiting an exhibit of Honoré Daumier’s 19th-century farcical Parisian caricatures, I failed to find a book…
If you’re like me, you enjoy giving books as presents. A couple of years ago, it occurred to me to share a list of my favorite sensational reads related to France. I’ve updated the list in time for the holiday season. My latest entries are denoted by **. Don’t be…
Last summer, while wandering in Biarritz, I came across a quaint little bookstore two steps away from the glamorous beachfront. Browsing the display tables, an intriguing cover caught my eye. Les Envolés, by Étienne Kern, won last year’s Prix Goncourt du Premier Roman (the equivalent of a National Book Award…
Here are a few of my favorite news stories and humorous highlights of French buzz from February 2023. Mitigating Machismo According to a French road safety study, male drivers were responsible for 84% of traffic fatalities in 2021. Men also represented 93% of drivers who were caught operating a vehicle…
