France

'A beguiling portrait... reminds us that, ideologically and culturally, Morès anticipates the tragedies of the 20th century, and also those of today' The TimesOne of the most anticipated books of the year according to Financial Times and New StatesmanThe extraordinary story of the nineteenth-century French-Italian aristocrat Marquis de Morès, the father of fascism, and his ominous legacyIn nineteenth-century France, the first fascist was born. Decades before Mussolini, the Marquis de Morès became the first populist and openly antisemitic leader in the Western world. A key figure behind the Dreyfus affair, he tore France apart with his inflammatory media rhetoric and violent stunts. Who was this man, who both anticipated and propelled the fascist politics that erupted in the twentieth century?Drawing on a wealth of original sources, award-winning historian Sergio Luzzatto explores the forgotten story of a father of fascism. He shows how, after losing aristocratic status in modern, democratic France, Morès led an adventurous life cattle ranching on the American frontier and building a railway in the jungles of Indochina - yet found all his schemes dogged by failure. He follows in Morès's footsteps, as, blaming supposed Jewish machinations for his defeats, he returned to France and soon controlled a large, violent militia of disgruntled workers. Even when his rapid political rise was torpedoed by a highly publicized financial scandal, his shadow continued to loom. In Vichy France, as Jewish people were being deported to Auschwitz, officials would gather to celebrate Morès's memory. Vivid and unsettling, The First Fascist is an engrossing exploration of the roots of our present discontent.

WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATUREMissing, a young girl, Dora Bruder, age 15.One winter night in 1941, a Jewish girl runs away from her Paris boarding school. Stumbling across her disappearance listed in an old newspaper, Patrick Modiano finds himself propelled on a quest to exhume her fate.His search will go on to last a decade. Little more will be found, just fragments of a lost family history, a sense of the dark streets of occupied Paris, Dora's name on a list of those sent to Auschwitz. And the spectre of Modiano's own troubled past, from which he can no longer look away.'One of France's most important novelists' The New York Times '[A] spokesman for the disappeared' Guardian

'Sand seems as alive as if she had just walked out of the room... quietly witty... fascinating' The Times 'Thought-provoking... written with energy, passion and commitment to its fascinating subject' Literary Review My friends will respect me, I hope, just as much under my jacket as under my dress... So take me for a man or a woman as you wish. By the age of thirty, the novelist who had been born Aurore Dupin in 1804 had become the internationally renowned George Sand. In English, her daring literary experiments were out-selling even Victor Hugo. But the legend of Sand herself scandalised Paris. Not only prodigiously talented but cigar-smoking, cross-dressing and promiscuous, she seemed to break all the rules society set for women.What can we learn from the way she lived? Was her iconoclasm simply an act of courage, a declaration of absolute autonomy? Or did her emotional and creative relationships with many of the leading figures of her day - from Fryderyk Chopin to Gustave Flaubert, and Alfred de Musset to Eugène Delacroix - form part of her dialogue with the world around her: a dialogue that is intrinsic to writing itself?In Becoming George, award-winning poet and biographer Fiona Sampson rehabilitates Sand as an intellectual and artistic giant, the beating heart of French literature in the nineteenth century. Too often underestimated in the century and a half since her death, she speaks to us today - about ecology, politics, society, gender - with brilliant prescience; a figure ahead of her time.Longlisted for the American Library in Paris Award 2026Praise for Fiona Sampson:'Fiona Sampson beautifully describes the "self-invention" of George Sand, the Romantic period's most famous woman writer, and in the process paints a vivid portrait of a world in the throes of political and artistic revolution.' Maurice Samuels, Professor of French, Yale University'Fiona Sampson is a sleuth of a biographer ... rarely has my jaw dropped on so many occasions while reading a biography.' Ysenda Maxtone Graham, Daily Mail on In Search of Mary Shelley'Brilliant, heart-stopping ... reads like a thriller, a memoir and a provocative piece of literary fiction all at the same time ... magical and compelling.' Charlotte Gordon, Washington Post on Two Way Mirror: The Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning'If we get another literary biography [this year] as astute and feelingful as this one, we shall be lucky.' John Carey, The Sunday Times on In Search of Mary Shelley

Du denkst, du kennst die Bretagne? Dann halt dein Segel fest!Die Bretagne ist weit mehr als nur Crêpes und Cidre. Es ist ein Land, in dem seltene Hummer kobaltblau sind, Schafe sich quasi selbst marinieren und man nachts den unheimlichen "Wäscherinnen der Nacht" ausweicht.Dieses Buch ist kein klassischer Reiseführer - es ist dein Ticket in das eigenwillige, sture und mystische Universum des "Landes am Ende der Welt". Wir servieren dir 222 Fakten, die dich zum Staunen, Schmunzeln und Kopfschütteln bringen.Wusstest du zum Beispiel...... dass der bretonische Hummer leuchtend blau ist?... dass fast jeder Bretone eine eigene Keramikschale mit Vornamen besitzt?... warum der Schmuggel von Meersalz früher direkt in den Kerker führte?Das perfekte Geschenk für Bretagne-Liebhaber & Atlantik-Fans! Ob als Begleiter für die Reise oder Gesprächsstoff beim Cidre - mit diesem Wissen schlägst du jeden Touristen im Fakten-Check. Locker, modern und mit dem großen Wissensquiz am Ende.Sichere dir dein Exemplar und entdecke die Bretagne von ihrer überraschendsten Seite!¿ Klicke auf "Jetzt kaufen" und tauche ein in das Land der unbegrenzten Kuriositäten!

Welcome to a pastel-colored world of excess, filled with rustling silks, gravity-defying hairstyles, delicious intrigue, and, of course, bloody revolution Marie Antoinette: The very name conjures up a vibrant pastel-coloued world of excess, filled with satin shoes, rustling silks, gravity-defying hairstyles, decadent macarons, delicious intrigue, and then, of course, bloody revolution.This groundbreaking volume first reconstructs the life and style of the captivating-yet-tragic Marie Antoinette-married at 14, queen at 18, and beheaded at 37-from the intimate apartments she lived in to the scent she wore, the trends she led, and the complexities of French court life. The authors draw on contemporary accounts, interiors, letters, portraits, and the tantalizingly few personal possessions that remain: her shoes and fans, and fragments of cloth from her dresses.But Marie Antoinette has remained influential long beyond her death in 1793. The book uncovers how the ill-fated queen of France has provided a constant source of inspiration to the worlds of design, fashion, film, and decorative arts, from 19th-century fancy dress balls, to art deco illustration, to the couture of John Galliano for Dior and the sumptuous movie by Sofia Coppola. It considers afresh the legacy of a complex and misunderstood figure whose style, youth, and notoriety have contributed to her timeless appeal.

A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024<BR><BR>A Waterstones Best History Book of 2024 Pick <BR><BR>'Kuper is a shrewd observer [in] this entertaining mix of memoir and anthropology' The Sunday Times<BR><BR>From the bestselling author of Chums comes an explorer's tale of a naïf getting to understand a complex, glittering, beautiful and often cruel city.<BR><BR> Simon Kuper has experienced Paris both as a human being and as a journalist. He has grown middle-aged there, eaten the croissants, taken his children to countless football matches on freezing Saturday mornings in the city's notorious banlieues, and in 2015 lived through two terrorist attacks on his family's neighbourhood. Over two decades of becoming something of a cantankerous Parisian himself, Kuper has watched the city change.<BR><BR> This century, Paris has globalised, gentrified, and been shocked into realising its role as the crucible of civilisational conflict. Sometimes it's a multicultural paradise, and sometimes it isn't. This decade, Parisians have lived through a sequence of shocks: terrorist attacks, record floods and heatwaves, the burning of Notre Dame, the storming of the city by gilets jaunes, and the pandemic. Now, as the Olympics come to town, France is busy executing the 'Grand Paris' project: the most serious attempt yet to knit together the bejewelled city with its neglected suburbs.<BR><BR> This is a captivating memoir of today's Paris without the clichés.

Isabelle ist stolz auf ihre Vorfahren, die sich während dem 2. Weltkriege an der Résistance in Frankreich beteiligt haben. Kein Wunder fällt sie aus allen Wolken, als sie erfährt, dass ihre Mutter als Tochter eines deutschen Soldaten und einer Norwegerin in einem Lebensborn-Heim geboren wurde. Isabelle und ihre Familie beginnen, ihre eigene Geschichte aufzudecken, machen dabei unerwartete Entdeckungen und bilden neue Freundschaften. In dieser autobriografischen Graphic Novel schafft es Isabelle Maroger, ein wenig besprochenes Kapitel des 2. Weltkriegs auf persönliche und nahbare Weise darzustellen. Feinfühlig leuchtet die Illustratorin aus Lyon die Grauzonen zwischen Schuld und Unschuld aus und zeigt Geschichte und Familienkonflikte auf, ohne zu urteilen. Die leichten und einfachen Illustrationen schaffen Nähe und Empathie für die Figuren und sind die gelungene Ergänzung zum schwerwiegenden und tiefgründigen Thema.

Library Journal Best Books of 2025 * New York Public Library Best Books of 2025 * Finalist, Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Biography * Hyperallergic Favorite Art Books of 2025 * Publishers Weekly Best Books of Summer 2025 * 2025 American Library in Paris Book Award Longlist * 2026 Mass Book Awards Nonfiction HonorsA riveting and stylish saga set in Paris during World War II, The Art Spy uncovers how an unlikely heroine infiltrated the Nazi leadership to save the world's most treasured masterpieces.On August 25, 1944, Rose Valland found herself in a desperate position. From the windows of her beloved Jeu de Paume museum, where she had worked and ultimately spied, she could see the battle to liberate Paris thundering around her. Would the museum curator be killed before she could tell the truth—a story that would mean nothing less than saving humanity’s cultural inheritance?Based on troves of previously undiscovered documents, The Art Spy chronicles the brave actions of the key Resistance spy in the heart of the Nazi’s art looting headquarters in the French capital. A veritable female Monuments Man, Valland has, until now, been written out of the annals. While Hitler was amassing stolen art for his future Führermuseum, Valland, his undercover adversary, secretly worked to stop him. She came face to face with Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, passed crucial information to the Resistance network, and faced death during the last hours of Liberation Day.At the same time, a young Free French soldier, Alexandre Rosenberg , was fighting his way to Paris with the Allied forces battling to liberate France. Alexandre's father was the exclusive art dealer for Picasso, Matisse, George Braque, and Fernand Léger. The Nazis had taken everything from their family—their art collection, their nationality, their gallery, and their home in Paris.Vivid and atmospheric, The Art Spy:- Highlights the work of a daring female spy: This account restores a forgotten heroine—a woman who, quiet by nature, fearless by choice, spent years embedded at the center of the Nazi looting operation—to her rightful place in the historical record.- Digs into the Nazi art conspiracy: Go inside the Jeu de Paume during the Occupation, where stolen masterpieces moved in and out under the noses of the Resistance.- Reconstructs wartime Paris: Experience a city transformed by war—from its glittering pre-war art scene, home to Picasso and Coco Chanel, to the tense, dangerous years of Nazi occupation and eventual liberation.In the spirit of Hidden Figures, with the sweeping narrative of The Rape of Europa, The Art Spy is an inspiration for us all—an extraordinary tale of courage in a time of violence.

Napoleon - schon der Name ist bis heute Inbegriff von Ruhm und historischer Größe. Nur selten in der Weltgeschichte hat ein Mensch in so kurzer Zeit so viel erobert und so viel verspielt. Johannes Willms, der große Kenner der Epoche und Napoleon-Biograph, fasst in diesem kritischen Porträt noch einmal den Aufstieg und Fall des Ausnahmemenschen zusammen, der erst Frankreich und dann Europa beherrschte, vom Revolutionsgeneral zum Despoten wurde und am Ende nach der Schlacht von Waterloo in der Verbannung starb.

Jeder kennt das Hauptwerk von André le Nôtre (1613-1700), den berühmten Park von Versailles. Und doch gehört Le Nôtre zu den noch immer unentdeckten Künstlern des Barock. Denn wer weiß schon, dass er auch die Tuilerien in Paris und die Gärten in Fontainebleau, Vaux le Vicomte und Chantilly gestaltete?Wer war der Mann, mit dem Ludwig XIV. einen so vertrauten Umgang pflegte? Über Jahrhunderte nahezu vergessen und während der Blütezeit des Landschaftsgartens geringgeschätzt, erfährt Le Nôtre nun neue Aufmerksamkeit - als Erfinder der schnurgeraden Achsen, Beet-Ornamente und Wasserkaskaden, die den Besucher in die harmonischste aller Ordnungen versetzten und die romantischen und modernen Gartenträume ihrer Schöpfer inspirierten.Stefan Schweizer stellt den Hofgärtner der Mächtigen und seine bedeutendsten Parkanlagen vor. Dank zahlreicher Stiche, Fotografien und Gartenpläne ist sein Buch praktischer Reisebegleiter, ergänzt um einen Exkurs zu den Olympischen Spielen in Paris und der Denkmalpflege in Le Nôtres Anlagen.

Pulitzer-winner Sebastian Smee relives the remarkable birth of Impressionism from the ashes of war'Enjoyable... a fine portrait not only of impressionism but the society that made it possible' THE SUNDAY TIMESParis, January 1871 - the final, agonising days of the Franco-Prussian War. As the German army cements its advantage, shells rattle through the Left Bank. It is a bitterly cold winter; there is no fuel, no medicine, no food. The city's poorer citizens have long turned to eating rats, cats and dogs. France has been brought to its knees.Édouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, and Edgar Degas are trapped in the besieged city. Renoir and Bazille have joined regiments outside of Paris, while Monet and Pissarro fled the country just in time. Out of the Siege and the Commune, these artists developed a newfound sense of the fragility of life. A feeling for transience - reflected in Impressionism's emphasis on fugitive light, shifting seasons, glimpsed street scenes, and the impermanence of all things - would change art history forever.This is the extraordinary account of the 'Terrible Year' in Paris and its monumental impact on the rise of Impressionism.***'Vigorous and enjoyable' DAILY TELEGRAPH'Smee has a gimlet eye, a seductive style and a novelist's feel for character and incident' NEW YORK TIMES'Detailed, lively and at times richly novelistic' LITERARY REVIEW

General, Revolutionär, Diktator und Kaiser - ein anderer Blick auf Napoleon Bonaparte Aus dem Nichts kommend stieg der Korse Napoleon Bonaparte während der französischen Revolution vom Artillerie-Offizier zum Ersten Konsul auf. Der Revolutionär wurde zum Kaiser der Franzosen und herrschte über weite Teile Europas. Doch auf den kometenhaften Aufstieg folgte der tiefe Absturz.Günter Müchler entwirft ein überraschend anderes Napoleonbild: Nicht Napoleons Größenwahn führten in den Untergang, sondern die äußeren Umstände. Sprachgewaltig erzählt er die Lebensgeschichte eines Mannes, der in seiner Verbannung auf Sankt Helena selbst am klarsten die eigene Beschränkung erkannte: 'Die Wahrheit ist, dass ich niemals ganz Herr meiner Bewegungen war. Ich habe Pläne gehabt, hatte aber niemals die Freiheit, sie auszuführen. Immer war ich durch die Umstände bestimmt'.- Der Revolutionär auf dem Kaiserthron: Wer war Napoleon Bonaparte?- Portrait eines außergewöhnlichen Mannes: von der französischen Revolution bis zum Exil auf St. Helena- Code Civil, Bank von Frankreich, 'franc germinal' - was blieb von Napoleons Reformen?- Neue These zu Napoleons Ende: getrieben durch äußere Umstände?- Napoleons Lebenslauf als packend erzähltes Epochenpanorama Biografie zwischen Macht und Ohnmacht In den Schulbüchern scheitert Napoleon meistens an seinen Charaktereigenschaften. Er sei großmannssüchtig gewesen, kriegslüstern und maßlos. Bei der Frage, weshalb Napoleon das Erreichte nicht halten konnte, werden jedoch die Rahmenbedingungen seines Handelns vernachlässigt. Günter Müchler zeigt, wo Napoleon Gestalter und wo er Getriebener war. Denn obwohl er zweifellos der überragende Akteur seiner Zeit war, so war er dennoch keineswegs frei, nach Gutdünken die Weltgeschichte zu gestalten. Napoleons Biographie bietet alle Zutaten eines spannungsgeladenen Krimis. Erfahren Sie mehr über ein unglaubliches Leben, das die europäische Geschichte veränderte!

' La vérité sur Jeanne d'Arc : Ses ennemis, ses auxiliaires, sa mission, d'après les chroniques du XVe siècle ' de Francis André est une oeuvre captivante qui plonge le lecteur au coeur de l'épopée de la Pucelle d'Orléans. Ce livre d'histoire médiévale offre un éclairage nouveau sur la figure emblématique de Jeanne d'Arc, en s'appuyant sur des sources historiques rigoureuses du XVe siècle.L'auteur dévoile avec précision le contexte politique et religieux de la France du Moyen Âge tardif, dressant un portrait saisissant des forces en présence. Il analyse minutieusement les relations complexes entre Jeanne et ses alliés, notamment le roi Charles VII et ses conseillers, tout en explorant les motivations de ses adversaires, qu'ils soient Anglais ou Bourguignons.Francis André s'attache particulièrement à décrypter la mission divine de Jeanne, examinant les témoignages de l'époque pour comprendre comment une jeune paysanne illettrée a pu galvaniser les troupes françaises et inverser le cours de la guerre de Cent Ans. L'ouvrage met en lumière les exploits militaires de l'héroïne, de la libération d'Orléans au sacre de Charles VII à Reims, sans occulter les revers et les trahisons qui ont conduit à sa capture.Le procès de Jeanne à Rouen est décortiqué, révélant les manoeuvres de ses accusateurs et la force de caractère de la jeune femme face à l'adversité. L'auteur s'interroge également sur l'héritage de Jeanne d'Arc et son impact durable sur l'histoire de France et l'imaginaire collectif.Ce livre, fruit d'une recherche approfondie, offre une perspective équilibrée et nuancée sur la vie et l'oeuvre de Jeanne d'Arc. Il s'adresse aussi bien aux passionnés d'histoire qu'aux lecteurs curieux de découvrir les dessous d'un des mythes fondateurs de la nation française.

Talleyrand gilt als der berühmteste Diplomat der Weltgeschichte und als skrupelloser Opportunist. Doch Johannes Willms zeigt und das Genie der Macht in einem anderen Licht: jenseits aller Klischees und als Phänotyp seiner Zeit einer Epoche gewaltiger sozialer und politischer Umbrüche, von denen seine hochadelige Gesellschaftsschicht besonders stark betroffen war. <BR><BR>"Die Sprache ist dem Menschen gegeben, um seine Gedanken zu verbergen" so ließ der wohl berühmteste Diplomat der Weltgeschichte einmal den spanischen Gesandten wissen, als dieser ihn an ein nicht eingehaltenes Versprechen erinnerte. Johannes Willms geht in seinem neuen Buch dem rätselhaften Genie jenes Mannes nach, der es mit unnachahmlicher Geschmeidigkeit verstand, in sechs verschiedenen Regimen sechsmal eine führende Rolle einzunehmen und das vollständig besiegte Frankreich ohne die geringste Gebietsabtretung durch den Wiener Kongress zu lotsen.<BR>

Library Journal Best Books of 2025 * New York Public Library Best Books of 2025 * Finalist, Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Biography * Hyperallergic Favorite Art Books of 2025 * Publishers Weekly Best Books of Summer 2025 * 2025 American Library in Paris Book Award Longlist * 2026 Mass Book Awards Nonfiction HonorsA riveting and stylish saga set in Paris during World War II, The Art Spy uncovers how an unlikely heroine infiltrated the Nazi leadership to save the world's most treasured masterpieces.On August 25, 1944, Rose Valland found herself in a desperate position. From the windows of her beloved Jeu de Paume museum, where she had worked and ultimately spied, she could see the battle to liberate Paris thundering around her. Would the museum curator be killed before she could tell the truth—a story that would mean nothing less than saving humanity’s cultural inheritance?Based on troves of previously undiscovered documents, The Art Spy chronicles the brave actions of the key Resistance spy in the heart of the Nazi’s art looting headquarters in the French capital. A veritable female Monuments Man, Valland has, until now, been written out of the annals. While Hitler was amassing stolen art for his future Führermuseum, Valland, his undercover adversary, secretly worked to stop him. She came face to face with Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, passed crucial information to the Resistance network, and faced death during the last hours of Liberation Day.At the same time, a young Free French soldier, Alexandre Rosenberg , was fighting his way to Paris with the Allied forces battling to liberate France. Alexandre's father was the exclusive art dealer for Picasso, Matisse, George Braque, and Fernand Léger. The Nazis had taken everything from their family—their art collection, their nationality, their gallery, and their home in Paris.Vivid and atmospheric, The Art Spy:- Highlights the work of a daring female spy: This account restores a forgotten heroine—a woman who, quiet by nature, fearless by choice, spent years embedded at the center of the Nazi looting operation—to her rightful place in the historical record.- Digs into the Nazi art conspiracy: Go inside the Jeu de Paume during the Occupation, where stolen masterpieces moved in and out under the noses of the Resistance.- Reconstructs wartime Paris: Experience a city transformed by war—from its glittering pre-war art scene, home to Picasso and Coco Chanel, to the tense, dangerous years of Nazi occupation and eventual liberation.In the spirit of Hidden Figures, with the sweeping narrative of The Rape of Europa, The Art Spy is an inspiration for us all—an extraordinary tale of courage in a time of violence.