The first half of this year saw the release of so many wonderful books set in or about Paris that it was hard to imagine that the second half would see a repeat performance. Happily, for francophiles and bibliophiles alike, the publishing trend is powering on, especially when it comes to historical fiction. Read on […]
Haute Culture
In Search of the Paris of Pierre Beaumarchais, Playwright of The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro, showing at the Palais Garnier from now until the end of the year, is one of those ballets and operas that are perfectly placed on the to-do-in-Paris list. That’s because it’s so quintessentially Parisian in soul as well as story. Sure, it does have a Spanish setting … But Mozart based […]
In Search of the Paris of Dangerous Liaisons
The latest version of Dangerous Liaisons (below; currently streaming on Starz in the US, Prime Video in the UK and Stan in Australia) is a Bridgerton-style (read: steamy scenes and heaving corsets) origin story of the classic French epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The series, filmed in Prague, is set in Paris of […]
Paris Heritage Days 2022: Programme Highlights
If you’re in Paris this weekend, you’re in for a treat … a.k.a the annual Heritage Days. If not? Schedule a future holiday to coincide with the third weekend of September, for this is when Paris (and the rest of France) celebrate the Journées du Patrimoine. On these Heritage Days, many historic yet private buildings […]