Spies lurked everywhere in Paris 1936,crouching behind the croissants, whispering behind their whiskies, sneaking under the snails. Nazis spies, of course, but also Italian, British, Red Russians, White Russians, and equal-opportunity spies who would work for the highest bidder, no matter what their politics. Plenty of American spies, too, of course, posing behind respectable facades […]
In the 1930s refugees poured into France, fleeing Hitler’s reign of terror in Germany . Mainly Jews, but also gays, communists, radicals, intellectuals — all those persecuted by the Nazis found a home in France. At least, that is, until the Germans occupied France in 1940 and set up their puppet Vichy regime. Yet France, this […]
In 1989, I moved to Paris. I didn’t yet know the city, and in my imagination, it was the magical, mysterious black-and-white place portrayed by such great masters of photography as Brassai, Kertesz, and Cartier-Bresson. I quickly needed a furnished apartment to rent for 6 months, but was discouraged to find only dreary flats crammed […]
In 1936, to get to Europe from the US, you had to sail. It took a bit less than a week, and crossing the tempestuous Atlantic was not for the faint of heart. Gladys’s diary publishers included a helpful guide to life on board ship, remedies for the dreaded seasickness, and advice on hat pools, in […]
Novel of a wardrobe: A chic Parisienne from the Belle Epoque through the Thirties Musée Carnavalet, Paris 17 october 2013 – 16 March 2014 Fabulous fashions to dream about, relating the story of a woman of exquisite taste — and the means to indulge it. Daughter of a dressmaker, she was one of the first saleswomen […]
The facts are tantalizingly few. When in 2010 a 91-year-old woman died in the south of France, her estate was found to include a Paris apartment, situated somewhere between Pigalle and the Opera. The woman, Madame de Florian, had abandoned it in 1942, and for nearly 70 years, the forgotten apartment lay in darkness and […]
She was the most elegant Frenchwoman of her time. The finest designs and the costliest materials were lavished upon her breathtaking form. Her beauty seduced men on both sides of the Atlantic. But after reigning for four short years, she met a tragic end. When launched in 1935, the SS Normandie was the most […]
Great memoirs bring you into the heart of a life and a time. These extraordinary books offer five very different perspectives on the time. Meet a cocky writer challenging norms, a cosmopolitan sensualist, a passionate roving reporter with an uncanny prophetic sense, and a Paris-based writer who witnessed Paris descend into tragedy. Henry Miller, The Paris […]
Behind its elegant façades Europe was a violent battlefield. Warmongers harangued against pacifists, fascists attacked socialists, workers fought for their rights. In March, Hitler defied all treaties, sending his troops into the demilitarized zone of the Rhineland. As the Luftwaffe swooped over Cologne, its citizens cheered, church bells rang, military bands played a song whose refrain […]