Walking London
About 25 years ago, during my stay in London as an intern in a law firm, the couple who had invited me to stay with them gave me a book Continue Reading →
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Category Archives: Europe
Algeria, Iran and France: « L’Art de Perdre » by Alice Zeniter and «Disoriental » by Négar Djavadi
I have just read with a lot of pleasure two books by French novelists which trace back immigration itineraries by families, from their origins in Algeria and Iran respectively, until Continue Reading →
Lisbon: Around Fernando Pessoa
Lisbon is a maritime city perched on several hills. You never stop going up or down, like the old yellow tramway which became one of the Portuguese capital’s symbols. It cannot Continue Reading →
Moscow: The House of Government by Yuri Slezkine, The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and Limonov by Emmanuel Carrère
This summer I made a short stopover of just under 24 hours in Moscow. I decided to stay at the Metropol hotel, an Art Nouveau building which is the only Continue Reading →
Provence: The Horseman on the Roof by Jean Giono, La charrette bleue by René Barjavel, Madame de Sévigné and Ventoux by Bert Wagendorp
There are several Provences and visitors will soon realize that following the roads in the valleys, it often takes longer than anticipated to link two points that seem close on Continue Reading →
Former Soviet Union: The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexievich
The Red Army. For me, born at the end of the 60s, this is a name evoking the Cold War and the televised images of parades in front of the Continue Reading →
Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris
The Père Lachaise is the most visited cemetery in the world. Not surprising, you would think, given the number of celebrities buried there. However, in 1804, under Napoleon, when the Continue Reading →
Amsterdam: The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
The Dutch are known for their frankness and their taste for transparency which would trace their origin in Calvinism. Calvinism arrived in the Netherlands in 16th century and established itself Continue Reading →
Siena and Tuscany : Il Palio delle contrade morte by Fruttero & Lucentini and The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
This summer I spent a few days among friends in a very nice house in the South of Tuscany. A happy life in Chianti’s perfectly mastered but enchanting landscapes: Continue Reading →
Iceland: Jar City by Arnaldur Indriðason
You might already have guessed it, but let’s confess it openly: I am a “country collector”. I cannot resist an opportunity to discover, even briefly, a new country. So, when Continue Reading →