The Land of Desire: French History and Culture

Welcome back! After a long break to buy new soundproofing equipment – which may or may not have been successful – we’re back with a new miniseries. I’m excited, as I think we’re covering one of the most interesting subjects this show has ever covered: the heiress, philanthropist and pioneering psychoanalyst Marie Bonaparte. Naturally, The post 71. Marie Bonaparte, Part I appeared first on The Land of Desire.

Aloha from Hawaii! Your host is celebrating a lot of things right now: Bastille Day, the ability to travel responsibly, the birthday of a certain overworked and abused producer-intern, and oh yeah, the fifth anniversary of The Land of Desire!!! I’m celebrating by answering some excellent questions from you, dear listeners. Merci beaucoup. Episode 70: The post 70. Fifth Anniversary! Listener Q&A appeared first on The Land of Desire.

We’re back! After a big move, which required the dismantling and relocation of the trusty recording studio (a.k.a. Diana’s closet), I’m excited to record in my new space! Next month is the show’s sixth anniversary – I know, right?!! – and I’m asking YOU to submit questions for a special listener Q&A episode. You can The post 69. The Boy Who Solved Vanilla appeared first on The Land of Desire.

April showers bring May flowers – unless they bring floods, famine, and fear. This month, I’m looking at the moment in French history when farmers turned their nose up at the foods of the New World – until they realized what the potato had to offer. Antoine Parmentier, one of the great hype men of The post 68. Antoine Parmentier & The History of the Potato appeared first on The Land of Desire.

What better way to “celebrate” a year of sheltering in place than a closer look at France’s most famous social distancer? This week, I’m looking at the curious relationship between the eccentric, reclusive writer, Marcel Proust, and his beloved housekeeper-confidant, Céleste Albaret. Together, the two hunkered down into a mostly nocturnal life of writing, collaborating, The post 67. Marcel & Celeste, Part II appeared first on The Land of Desire.

What better way to “celebrate” a year of sheltering in place than a closer look at France’s most famous social distancer? This week, I’m looking at the curious relationship between the eccentric, reclusive writer, Marcel Proust, and his beloved housekeeper-confidant, Céleste Albaret. Together, the two hunkered down into a mostly nocturnal life of writing, collaborating, The post 66. Marcel & Celeste, Part I appeared first on The Land of Desire.

The darkest days of winter are here, and I think it’s time we all indulged in a little self-care, non? My own quarantine hobby, skincare, set me down a particular path. Why was I spraying my face with thermal spa water from France? What is thermal spa water? Why do we drink thermal spa water? Does any The post 65. A Trip to the Spa appeared first on The Land of Desire.

Happy New Year! The Land of Desire is BACK with an exciting – and hopeful – story to set us off on the right track in 2021. Your happy host gets to indulge her love of epidemiology a little bit without leaving you depressed in the middle of a pandemic (she swears). This week, we’re The post 64. Louis Pasteur and The History of the Vaccine appeared first on The Land of Desire.

BOO! It’s spooky season, so I’m bringing you a chilling tale of piracy, treachery, and blood-soaked revenge. This week, we’re digging into the very beginning of the Hundred Years’ War, when a bunch of scheming men had their plans ruined by scheming women. We’ll learn about the War of Breton Succession, a.k.a. a teensy conflict The post 63. Jeanne de Clisson and the Black Fleet appeared first on The Land of Desire.

At long last, I get to combine two of my great passions: French history and 1990s women’s figure skating! Let’s face it, France hasn’t produced that many great female skaters over the decades. Male skaters like Alain Calmat and Pierre Péra made their way to the champion’s podium, but as the end of the 20th The post 62. Surya Bonaly appeared first on The Land of Desire.

It’s that time of year – les vacances! Oh, wait, you’re stuck at home? No big international trips? Global pandemic got you grounded? Yeah, me too. My favorite summer destination, Disneyland, is closed for COVID, and it’ll be a long time until it reopens. When it does, it won’t be the same. It’ll be an The post 61. Euro Disney appeared first on The Land of Desire.

It’s our birthday!! Today, The Land of Desire kicks off its fifth year and what better way to celebrate than with a little cake? This week, I’m focusing on the history of one of my favorite French treats: the humble, beloved madeleine! “One could almost call the madeleine France’s national cookie” wrote Patricia Wells in the New The post 60. The History of Madeleines appeared first on The Land of Desire.

Surprise! I know I said I was done with Women At War, but then I immediately sat up in bed one night and smacked myself in the forehead. This series is the perfect opportunity to tell the story of my favorite unlikely heroine of all time: Rose Valland. What better way to wrap up the The post 59. Women At War BONUS: The Witness (Rose Valland) appeared first on The Land of Desire.

It’s the two-part conclusion of the miniseries: Women In War. This episode was a long time coming. I struggled to read the stories of Ravensbruck concentration camp. How can I pay tribute to these brave women? But I knew the story of French women during World War II would be incomplete without confronting the truth The post 58. Women At War 5: The Survivor II (Marie-José Wilborts) appeared first on The Land of Desire.

It’s the two-part conclusion of the miniseries: Women In War. This episode was a long time coming. I struggled to read the stories of Ravensbruck concentration camp. How can I pay tribute to these brave women? But I knew the story of French women during World War II would be incomplete without confronting the truth The post 57. Women At War 5: The Survivor I (Marie-José Wilborts) appeared first on The Land of Desire.

We are going underground. ― Jacqueline Marié It’s the continuation of my new miniseries on a subject extremely near and dear to my heart: Women In War! For the next few weeks I’ll be focusing on the experiences of women in France during World War II: fighting the resistance, collaborating with the Nazis, keeping children The post 56. Women At War 4: The Résistante (Jacqueline Marié) appeared first on The Land of Desire.

If one took seriously the disclosures that Mademoiselle Chanel allowed herself to make about those black years of the Occupation, one’s teeth would be set on edge. ― Marcel Haedrich, friend and biographer It’s the continuation of my new miniseries on a subject extremely near and dear to my heart: Women In War! For the The post 55. Women At War 3: The Collaborator (Coco Chanel) appeared first on The Land of Desire.

Why is it that knowing how to remain alone in Paris for a year in a miserable room teaches a man more than a hundred literary salons and forty years’ experience of ‘Parisian life’? ― Albert Camus, diary entry, 1940 It’s the continuation of my new miniseries on a subject extremely near and dear to The post 54. Women At War 2: The Schoolteacher (Berthe Auroy) appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“We decided to take only precious items. But what did we have that was precious?” ― Jackie DeCol, Parisian refugee I’m excited to announce the launch of a new miniseries on a subject extremely near and dear to my heart: Women In War! For the next few weeks I’ll be focusing on the experiences of women The post 53. Women At War 1: The Exile (Elisabeth Kaufmann) appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“It is fresh, and free.” ― Paul de Charry, art critic This week, we’re kicking off the fourth year of the podcast with some hot fun in the summertime! It’s hot in Paris – too hot – and a listener question got me thinking about historical ways to beat the heat. This question led me The post 52. Luncheon of the Boating Party appeared first on The Land of Desire.