It does not require a great leap of historical imagination to see how the early modern carnival connects to our current post-modern one.
125 years ago, Alfred Dreyfus arrived at Devil’s Island, found guilty of treason. At the twilight of the Trump era, his story still resonates.
The anniversary arrives at an apt time — the tide of anti-Semitism that surged across France in the late 19th century again seems to be rising again.
What historians did not know was Le Corbusier’s soft spot for totalitarian regimes like Nazi Germany and his scorn for Jews.
After World War II, Notre Dame was no longer a cathedral, a seat for the Catholic Church, but instead the seat for all Frenchmen and women.
The anniversary arrives at an apt time — the tide of anti-Semitism that surged across France in the late 19th century again seems to be rising again.
“My role is not to make people happy. It is to tell the truth as strongly as possible — bluntly, even savagely, if necessary.”
Like the thermal waters of the town, Vichy’s history continues to bubble and belch, at times with enough force to upend French politics and culture.
“Bad faith blinds us to the brute fact of our radical freedom.”
“Deep down, we still cling to the notion that what an artist makes with her hands reflects what transpires in her soul.”