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…
View More Henry Miller the Paris YearsTag: France
France is one of my favorite countries to visit and not just the city of Paris, which often wins hands down to any other destination, but points far and wide.
Cannes is on my bucket list so when I received photography of the updated interiors of the Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic designed by Kirei Studio, I decided to transport myself there by way of a fictive vacation for two of my favorite writers—Edith Wharton and Henry James. I chose the Christian Dior Suite for their literary design adventure. Not only would they enjoy the 180-degree views from the terrace overlooking the Mediterranean and the storied location in the heart of the French Riviera, I reasoned; they’d adore the comfortably elegant furnishings and the airy sophistication achieved by the Parisian-based design firm.
It would simply be a bonus that they are staying in the only suite in Europe infused with the famous Parisian label’s panache. He was in his fifties and she was in her thirties when they wrote their first letters to each other. Once they met, it was a May/December affair of the intellectual kind, a bond the two passionate writers treasured. Their correspondence was filled with explorations of literature, as well as advice, support and excitement concerning each other’s work. I used these letters to create dialogue between the two and had a blast doing it! I have a number of posts under this tag so I if you enjoy stories set in France, both real and fictive, I hope you’ll stop by and read a few.
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…
View More Medieval Calamities in ParisLibraries 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…
View More Libraries Are My TemplesThe 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…
View More The Emperor’s DispleasureCafé 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…
View More Café Society as Cultural InterpreterThe Tapestry of History
In just a few hours, the modern ideal of a fairy tale wedding will take place at Windsor Castle. A trip I took to the…
View More The Tapestry of HistoryThe Fabric of Design
In their introduction to The Decoration of Houses, Edith Wharton and Ogden Codman, Jr., write, “In the middle ages, when warfare and brigandage shaped the…
View More The Fabric of DesignEudora Welty Finds Her Voice
When a writer begins to grapple with how to mine the outside world for inspiration, the process can be challenging. In her memoir, One Writer’s…
View More Eudora Welty Finds Her VoiceExploring Frankfurt with Goethe
I am returning to Frankfurt am Main next week to attend Heimtextil for the second time, an experience I truly enjoyed last year for the…
View More Exploring Frankfurt with GoetheMadame Récamier and the Art of Reclining
Jeanne-Françoise Julie Adélaïde Bernard, known after her marriage as Juliette Récamier, was born on December 4, 1777—240 years ago yesterday. Had she lived during modern…
View More Madame Récamier and the Art of Reclining