by Anne Swardson | Apr 12, 2021 | covid, France
Until the pandemic, I never associated the word “hope” with the word “construction.” But my wanderings around Paris show that people are investing money and time in businesses that are not even allowed to operate now. It’s a sign they... 
by Anne Swardson | Mar 29, 2021 | covid, France
Paris’s riverside booksellers have had to be tough to make it through the 500+ years they’ve been in business. Kings censored or outlawed them multiple times and wars shut them down. They’ve always come back to set up their green-metal stalls along the Seine. The... 
by Anne Swardson | Mar 16, 2021 | covid, France
Originally published in The American Scholar On the evening of March 6, 2020, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, went to the theater. They saw a performance of Par le Bout du Nez, By the Tip of the Nose, about a French president who has an itch... 
by Anne Swardson | Mar 1, 2021 | covid, France
This month marks what would be, in normal times, the start of the Paris tourist season. The British half-term, the American spring vacation, the German winter break, all happen close to now. Chinese and Japanese tour groups arrive too, as the weather warms and the sun... 
by Anne Swardson | Feb 9, 2021 | covid, France
The question of whether Paris is still alive isn’t just a philosophical issue, even in a country that cherishes les philosophes. For almost a year, the most central and touristic parts of the of the city have been largely devoid of people, driven away by lockdowns,... 
by Anne Swardson | Jan 5, 2021 | covid, France
For months, I bragged to my friends in the U.S. that France’s COVID vaccination program would be rapid, efficient and well-run, in keeping with its national health system. Silly me. The vaccination rollout here has been nothing short of a disaster. It’s replete with...