This essay channeling Balzac in Paris is included in my new book The Modern Salonnière. The 34 other essays in the book feature similar literary adventures and essays about traveling with intention. Balzac: the Human Comedy Personified Many a talented creative has been taken over by excess once celebrity is within reach. Honoré de Balzac is…Continue reading Balzac as a Human Comedy
Anguished in Amherst
This essay channeling Emily Dickinson in Amherst is included in my new book The Modern Salonnière. The 34 other essays in the book feature similar literary adventures and essays about traveling with intention. Emily Dickinson: Anguished in Amherst Emily Dickinson was presented to me in such one-dimensional terms in high school, I ignored her as…Continue reading Anguished in Amherst
Henry Miller the Paris Years
This essay about Henry Miller in Paris is included in my new book The Modern Salonnière. The 34 other essays in the book feature similar literary adventures and essays about traveling with intention. Henry Miller: Hungry, Homeless, Happy There’s only one historical figure I’ve ever come across who claimed he was hungry, homeless, and happy simultaneously.…Continue reading Henry Miller the Paris Years
Shadowing Petrarch in Parma
This essay is included in my new book The Modern Salonnière. The 34 other essays in the book feature similar literary adventures and traveling with intention. Shadowing Petrarch in Parma The haunting strains of a bandoneon were wafting through the drizzly air, compelling me to follow the sound to a corner of a Piazza. An old…Continue reading Shadowing Petrarch in Parma
Medieval Calamities in Paris
This essay about the calamities of Héloïse and Abélard is included in my book The Modern Salonnière. The 34 other essays in the book feature similar literary adventures and essays about reading or traveling with intention. Calamities of the Heart It was winter in Paris and the Père Lachaise Cemetery was awash in grays. The…Continue reading Medieval Calamities in Paris
Libraries Are My Temples
This essay about the legacy of Cardinal Mazarin, which includes several libraries, is included in my book The Modern Salonnière. The 34 other essays in the book feature similar literary adventures and essays about reading or traveling with intention. Libraries Are My Temples Libraries are my temples, the places I go to worship my tribe.…Continue reading Libraries Are My Temples
The Architecture of Chivalry
This essay about the built legacy of Henry VIII is included in my new book The Modern Salonnière. The 34 other essays in the book feature similar literary adventures and essays about reading or traveling with intention. When Chivalry Influenced Architecture Of course, the pose is cocky. What about Henry VIII wasn’t? Its girth is…Continue reading The Architecture of Chivalry
The Emperor’s Displeasure
This essay about Napoléon’s displeasure with Germaine de Staël is included in my new book The Modern Salonnière. The 34 other essays in the book feature similar literary adventures and essays about reading or traveling with intention. Displeasure 40 Leagues from Paris Proof that the sword is often mightier than the pen litters history with…Continue reading The Emperor’s Displeasure
The Camera Becomes King on Safari
This essay about a legendary safari tracker is included in my new book The Modern Salonnière, which is available on Amazon. The 34 other essays in the book feature similar literary adventures and essays about traveling with intention. British Society on Safari Two men are chatting, the legs of their folding campaign chairs sunk in…Continue reading The Camera Becomes King on Safari
Café Society as Cultural Interpreter
What do the Paris and New York City cafés that served as historical backdrops for some of the world’s most brilliant creatives say about the differences in France and America? Quite a lot, actually. Since the fabric of New York is woven by revolving real estate, citizens of Gotham learn not to get too attached…Continue reading Café Society as Cultural Interpreter