France

The philosopher Roland Barthes believed that wine was a ‘totemic drink’ in France. In Mythologies (1957), he claimed that ‘wine is seen by the French as something that belongs to them, as much as their

England’s relationship with continental Europe is at a crossroads. For essentially political rather than commercial reasons, England stands at the brink of a potentially catastrophic exit from its major European market. Long-time alliances are strained;

After an election campaign that continuously promised unexpected disruptions on the first round of the French presidential elections, the expected happened: the young centrist Emmanuel Macron and the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen will confront

You’re on the Tube: what catches your eye? A man with an oversized backpack? A woman in a hijab? ‘If you see anyone acting suspiciously…’ The warnings assail our eyes and ears. But what are

Nancy Goldstone’s The Rival Queens: Catherine de Medici, Marguerite de Valois and the Betrayal that Ignited a Kingdom takes the form of a dual biography of Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, and her daughter,

Calais is back in the news – or should I say: in the British news? The migrant-crisis in and around Calais has of course hit the headlines in Europe and the world as the situation