VAN GOGH IN PARIS
The great Vincent van Gogh, who arrived in Paris in 1886 and befriended Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, claimed the city did him “a world of good.” (Literary Hub)
CUTTING-EDGE BOOKS
For the first time, a Frenchwoman, Annie Ernaux, who uses language as “a knife,” has won the Nobel Prize for Literature. (BBC News)
PRO-CHOICE FRANCE
An account of the 1972 trial – of a 16-year-old girl who had had an abortion after being raped – that helped lead to the legalization of abortion in France. (The Local)
PROUST’S MADELEINE
An exhibition at the French National Library shows how Proust’s famous madeleine evolved from a humble crust of bread to the more upmarket little shell-shaped cake. (The Guardian)
SOBER-CURIOUS IN FRANCE
Believe it or not, Paris now has its first non-alcoholic wine and liquor store, Le Paon Qui Boit. (NPR)
COPING WITH ENERGY SHORTAGES
The French government is asking the country to cut back on energy consumption during the winter and has come up with a package of measures. (France 24)
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