Summer Reads

"'Have you ever seen a shrink?' I always ask on the first date": When mental health enters the dating scene

Seducing by highlighting your 'personality type,' talking about your shrink or expecting your suitors to be aware of their 'traumas': The vocabulary of psychology has crept into our romantic lives. And dating apps are capitalizing on the trend.

Published yesterday at 2:00 am (Paris), updated yesterday at 9:28 am Célia Laborie

Feature

Aboard the Bernina Express train, a superb panoramic journey through the Alps

'A Summer on the rails' (1/5). Five journeys to discover Europe by train. Linking Switzerland to Italy, this train ride allows you to take in the sumptuous scenery of the Bernina glaciers, between high viaducts and unspoiled villages.

Published on July 21, 2024, at 5:00 am (Paris) Hubert Prolongeau

Column

Cinéma vérité? The odd choice of English for TV shows set in France

By choosing English as the lingua franca for storylines set mainly in France, 'The New Look' and 'Mister Spade' follow a long-standing cautiousness around being accessible to audiences.

Published on February 26, 2024, at 9:00 pm (Paris) Audrey Fournier

Column

Where there's sex, there's blood

Le Monde columnist Maïa Mazaurette embarks on an adventure like no other as she steers her vessel through the currents of sexuality's fluids.

Published on September 24, 2023, at 4:00 am (Paris) Maïa Mazaurette

News

Saliva: Gliding between desire and disgust

Le Monde columnist Maïa Mazaurette embarks on an adventure like no other as she steers her vessel through the currents of sexuality's fluids.

Published on September 17, 2023, at 8:58 pm (Paris), updated on September 23, 2023, at 4:35 pm Maïa Mazaurette

Conversation

Gad Elmaleh: 'It weighs on me, this constant judgment, the Moroccan immigrant syndrome'

The comedian, actor and director met Le Monde in Cap-d'Ail, in southeastern France, near Monaco.

Published on September 5, 2023, at 8:30 pm (Paris), updated on September 6, 2023, at 5:50 pm Laurent Carpentier

Investigation

Africa, American basketball's new playing field

'Planet NBA' (6/6). Since its creation in 1946, the National Basketball Association has become both an American powerhouse and a global brand. In Africa, where it established itself 20 years ago, it is developing an ecosystem that contributes to the continent's economy while providing it access to a pool of exceptional athletes.

Published on September 2, 2023, at 7:00 pm (Paris), updated on September 2, 2023, at 7:00 pm Mustapha Kessous Florence Miettaux Olivier Faye

Long Read

Vérargues, France's hottest town

The town in the South of France, which saw a scorching 46°C temperature during a 2019 heatwave, holds France's hottest weather record. Its residents acknowledge that such extreme temperatures are becoming increasingly common.

Published on September 2, 2023, at 4:03 am (Paris), updated on September 2, 2023, at 8:38 am Catherine Rollot

Series

The tide guarded its secrets for centuries

'The Earth's pulses' (6/6). Since ancient times, scientists have been trying to explain the tide. The interplay between the Earth, sun and moon was not understood until Isaac Newton in the 17th century and then more fully by Pierre Simon de Laplace a century later.

Published on August 29, 2023, at 8:30 pm (Paris) Martine Valo

Long Read

The Barrière Group, a French 'Succession' story

In April, 36-year-old Alexandre Barrière, son of Dominique Desseigne and Diane Barrière, brutally ousted his father from the management of the group of casinos, luxury hotels and restaurants.

Published on August 29, 2023, at 5:30 am (Paris) Vanessa Schneider

News

Jet streams: The strong high altitude winds that could trigger heat waves

'The Earth's pulses' (5/6). Strong upper-level winds, or jet streams, worry specialists concerned about the effect of their combination with global warming. In Europe, they could contribute to heat waves in particular.

Published on August 29, 2023, at 5:00 am (Paris) Hervé Morin

Investigation

The NBA's shady games in China

'Planet NBA' (5/6). Since its creation in 1946, the American basketball league has established itself as both a symbol of America and a global brand. China, a country of basketball fans, is its largest foreign market. But, anxious to preserve its colossal profits, it has yielded on questions concerning Tibet or the Uyghurs.

Published on August 27, 2023, at 9:00 pm (Paris) Olivier Faye Simon Leplâtre

Feature

Rochefourchat, the village with a single resident

At the end of a small, winding country road, perched at an altitude of 844 meters, this southeastern French village boasts a record for having only one year-round inhabitant.

Published on August 27, 2023, at 7:00 pm (Paris) Catherine Rollot

Gallery

Jeano Edwards captures 'everyday beauty' of a Jamaican vacation

When photographers explore their roots, their vision is often colored by nostalgia, fantasy, surprise and more. Since 2018, Jamaican-born Jeano Edwards, who left the island at age 16, has spent every vacation roaming the land of his youth.

Published on August 26, 2023, at 4:00 pm (Paris) Emmanuelle Lequeux

Investigation

Lithuania, a country at double risk of infiltration

'The new Russian espionage' (5/5). In the Baltic state, intelligence services are constantly on the lookout for activity by Moscow agents or their Belarusian allies, who do not hesitate to conduct propaganda operations.

Published on August 26, 2023, at 5:18 am (Paris) Jacques Follorou

Investigation

The monsoon, a weather phenomenon in the throes of disruption

'The Earth's Pulses' (4/6). Agriculture in South Asia, particularly India, depends on the monsoon providing the manna of rainfall. However, the rainy season is in the throes of disruption.

Published on August 24, 2023, at 8:00 pm (Paris) Guillaume Delacroix

Investigation

The FSB-trained amateur spies gathering intel on the Polish border

'The new Russian espionage' (4/5). In southeast Poland, a region bordering Ukraine has become a strategic location where the Russian secret services are trying to remain active. They have been forced to subcontract some missions to amateur 'agents.'

Published on August 24, 2023, at 7:00 pm (Paris) Jacques Follorou

Selection

Cycling through the UK: Five rides from the beautiful gardens of Kent to the dazzling Gower Peninsula

Le Monde embarks on a tour of Britain, from lively Liverpool to the deer-inhabited Isle of Jura in the Scottish Hebrides archipelago.

Published on August 24, 2023, at 5:00 am (Paris) Thomas Doustaly

Long Read

'Girls', the show that defined a generation of millennial women

The HBO show, broadcast from 2012 to 2017 and created by Lena Dunham, showed ordinary young, flawed women trying to take destiny into their own hands.

Published on August 23, 2023, at 8:45 pm (Paris) Audrey Fournier

Investigation

Between Estonia and Russia, across the bridge of military trafficking

'The new Russian espionage' (3/5). In Narva, an Estonian town merely separated from Russia by a single bridge, the fear of infiltration and smuggling is omnipresent. Customs and intelligence services monitor the smuggling of military equipment and technology, orchestrated by pro-Russian networks.

Published on August 23, 2023, at 8:30 pm (Paris), updated on February 14, 2024, at 12:18 pm Jacques Follorou

Investigation

El Niño and La Niña, the 'enfants terribles' of the climate

'The Earth's Pulses' (3/6). Combined with climate change, these two climatic phenomena could have even more unpredictable and devastating consequences for many populations.

Published on August 23, 2023, at 12:06 pm (Paris), updated on August 23, 2023, at 12:49 pm Audrey Garric

Investigation

Latvia, a Baltic playground for Moscow spies

'The new Russian espionage' (2/5). The small Baltic country that was once part of the Soviet empire is concerned about the activities of the Russian secret services on its territory. A former minister has even been accused of running a spy network.

Published on August 23, 2023, at 5:30 am (Paris) Jacques Follorou

Long Read

How Diet Prada thwarted Dolce & Gabbana's ambitions in China

Courts sometimes have to rule on creative disputes. In the case between luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana and Instagram account Diet Prada, the latter posted screenshots that landed the Italian company in hot water in China.

Published on August 22, 2023, at 7:37 pm (Paris), updated on August 22, 2023, at 11:00 pm Valentin Pérez

Investigation

The Humboldt Current, a fish-rich system under threat

'The Earth's Pulses' (2/6). The strip of cold water along the west coast of South America is teeming with fish. But the resource could be endangered by global warming.

Published on August 22, 2023, at 7:00 pm (Paris), updated on August 25, 2023, at 3:35 pm Nathaniel Herzberg

Gallery

The strange China of photographer Alex Huanfa Cheng

'Back home' (4/6). Alex Huanfa Cheng, who has lived in Paris for the past 11 years, regularly returns to the China of his childhood, which he can explore with a fresh, clear eye, the better to highlight its false pretenses.

Published on August 22, 2023, at 2:46 pm (Paris) Emmanuelle Lequeux

Investigation

When Sweden tracks down undercover Russian spies

'The new Russian espionage' (1/5). In recent years, some European countries have been confronted with all kinds of maneuvers by Moscow's secret services, which are constantly adapting their strategies, especially since the start of the war in Ukraine. Sweden has discovered the presence of several highly active spies on its territory.

Published on August 21, 2023, at 8:30 pm (Paris), updated on August 22, 2023, at 12:23 pm Jacques Follorou

Feature

Carrying on the legacy of the 'Pope of Beaujolais' at the Domaine Marcel Lapierre

After the death of their father Marcel in 2010, Camille and Mathieu Lapierre didn't hesitate to take over the reins of the domain from the pioneer of natural wines, while many of their competitors were waiting in the wings.

Published on August 21, 2023, at 8:00 pm (Paris) Jérôme Gautheret

Series

Will the 14th Dalai Lama be the last?

'The Dalai Lama's extraordinary journey' (6/6). While it is not yet known who will succeed Tenzin Gyatso, or even if he will have a successor, His Holiness has assured that he will leave instructions when he reaches age 90, in 2025. But, according to Beijing, it is up to China to appoint the next Tibetan spiritual leader.

Published on August 21, 2023, at 5:50 pm (Paris), updated on August 25, 2023, at 3:47 pm Bruno Philip Raphaëlle Rérolle

Investigation

The Gulf Stream, a famous current held up as a symbol Earth's fragility

'The Earth's Pulses' (1/6). The Gulf Stream is often thought of as the conveyor of heat from the Gulf of Mexico to Western Europe. In reality, a different current does that job: the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, which, unlike the Gulf Stream, could be threatened by global warming.

Published on August 21, 2023, at 12:48 pm (Paris), updated on August 23, 2023, at 11:59 am Stéphane Foucart

Long Read

In 1976, Seveso's poisoned summer: 'Nature became our enemy'

On July 10, 1976, an explosion at a chemical plant near Milan, Italy, released a cloud of dioxin that durably contaminated the region and its inhabitants. This disaster led Europe to adopt its first directive aimed at preventing the risks associated with hazardous industrial sites.

Published on August 21, 2023, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on August 21, 2023, at 12:56 pm Stéphanie Marteau

Series

How the Dalai Lama became a global superstar

'The Dalai Lama's extraordinary journey' (5/6). From the moment he began traveling the planet and representing his country's story on the international stage in the mid-1970s, the Tibetan leader has forged an exceptional popularity, crowned by a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

Published on August 20, 2023, at 7:03 pm (Paris) Bruno Philip Raphaëlle Rérolle

Long Read

When John Lennon saved 'Rolling Stone,' thrashing the Beatles, 'the biggest bastards on Earth'

Some interviews with writers, actors and rock stars have become legendary 'classic moments,' thanks to a time when artists' voices were not tampered with by PR experts. In 1970, Jann Wenner wanted to relaunch the 'Rolling Stone' magazine he had co-founded. He arranged a meeting with the bitter ex-Beatle.

Published on August 20, 2023, at 1:32 pm (Paris), updated on August 21, 2023, at 8:36 am Samuel Blumenfeld

Gallery

Indian photographer Anu Kumar opens her private diary

Born in Delhi, Anu Kumar grew up in Australia. For a period of 5 years, she documented the daily lives of the family members who had stayed in the motherland. This intimate work on the meaning of homeland and traditions 'taught her to be Indian.'

Published on August 20, 2023, at 2:07 am (Paris), updated on August 20, 2023, at 3:09 am Emmanuelle Lequeux

Long Read

The Dalai Lama's impossible dialogue with China

'The Dalai Lama's extraordinary journey' (4/6). The spiritual leader of the Tibetans for a long time believed that negotiations with China, which has occupied his country since the 1950s, were possible. But he always ran up against Beijing's intransigence and contempt.

Published on August 19, 2023, at 7:00 pm (Paris), updated on August 25, 2023, at 3:51 pm Bruno Philip Raphaëlle Rérolle

Investigation

Basketball in Lithuania, a symbol of freedom from Russia

'Planet NBA' (4/6). In the small Baltic state, basketball became an instrument of emancipation from the Soviet Union, most notably at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 where the 'other Dream Team' beat the players of the defunct USSR to the podium.

Published on August 19, 2023, at 12:00 pm (Paris) Olivier Faye

Long Read

Daft Punk, two robots put to sleep after 28 years

'How Daft Punk got lucky' (5/5). The Parisian duo announced their separation in February 2021, leaving behind an enormous legacy.

Published on August 19, 2023, at 4:30 am (Paris), updated on September 20, 2023, at 3:48 pm Bruno Lesprit

Long Read

Dharamsala, the Indian stronghold of exiled Tibetans

'The Dalai Lama's extraordinary journey' (3/6). Forced to leave his country in 1959 because of the Chinese occupation, the Tibetans' spiritual leader made the northwestern Indian town of Dharamsala his community's refuge and the epicenter of his political struggle.

Published on August 18, 2023, at 7:13 pm (Paris) Bruno Philip Raphaëlle Rérolle

News

Unlike Americans, the French don't aim for a flawless partner

'The US, France and me' (5/5). In France, accepting a partner's faults is commonplace, unlike in the United States where each half of a couple must be a source of motivation for the other, says Pamela Druckerman, a New York-born journalist based in Paris.

Published on August 18, 2023, at 7:00 am (Paris), updated on August 21, 2023, at 1:11 pm Pamela Druckerman

Long Read

Daft Punk, pardon my French touch

'How Daft Punk got lucky' (4/5). The French touch label sticks to the duo like a band-aid, though they have always refused to be saddled with it. But Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo are considered the figureheads of this movement born in the second half of the 1990s.

Published on August 18, 2023, at 4:00 am (Paris) Bruno Lesprit

Long Read

Tibet's unfailing devotion to the Dalai Lama

'The Dalai Lama's extraordinary journey' (2/6). Tibetans venerate their spiritual leader, who fled to India because of the Chinese occupation of his country, so recent accusations against him concerning his behavior with a child have hurt them deeply.

Published on August 17, 2023, at 7:00 pm (Paris), updated on August 25, 2023, at 3:49 pm Bruno Philip Raphaëlle Rérolle

Series

From museum to museum, the ballet of raindrops in Random International's 'Rain Room'

'The Art of Rain' (Part 11). The installation, first exhibited in London in 2012, is a global success.

Published on August 17, 2023, at 2:00 pm (Paris) Roxana Azimi

Long Read

Daft Punk and the album that was a Hollywood blockbuster

'How Daft Punk got lucky' (3/5). For the French duo, who see their creations as more than music, imagery has always been paramount, leading them to adopt the methods of American movie studios for their 2013 album 'Random Access Memories'.

Published on August 17, 2023, at 4:00 am (Paris) Bruno Lesprit

Long Read

Sunday chicken and 'consensual' wine: A non-exhaustive guide to life in France

'The US, France, and me' (4/5). New York-born journalist Pamela Druckerman enumerates the peculiarities of the inhabitants of Paris, from their idea of loyalty to their view of the French presidents.

Published on August 16, 2023, at 6:01 pm (Paris), updated on August 25, 2023, at 10:34 am Pamela Druckerman

Series

'Who'll Stop the Rain' by Creedence Clearwater Revival, a song as a metaphor for disaster

'The Art of Rain' (Part 10). The California band's leader, John Fogerty, wrote this track after their appearance at the Woodstock festival in August 1969.

Published on August 16, 2023, at 3:00 pm (Paris), updated on August 16, 2023, at 6:29 pm Bruno Lesprit

Long Read

Daft Punk's early masterpieces, crafted in a childhood bedroom

'How Daft Punk got lucky' (2/5). 'Homework,' the Parisian duo's debut album, brought house and techno to the masses and propelled the two Frenchmen into a planetary orbit.

Published on August 16, 2023, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on August 16, 2023, at 6:25 pm Bruno Lesprit

Series

Pina Bausch's 'Vollmond,' a sublime dance under a weeping downpour

'The Art of Rain' (Part 9). In 2006, the German choreographer let it pour in an uneven, sensual performance.

Published on August 15, 2023, at 6:35 pm (Paris) Rosita Boisseau

Long Read

France is more open to the idea of a woman becoming freer – and more sexual – as she ages than the US

'The US, France and me' (3/5). Pamela Druckerman, an American journalist who has lived in Paris for almost 20 years, envies French women's ability to blossom sexually as they age. Unlike her compatriots, who are more subject to the weight of social pressures.

Published on August 15, 2023, at 6:01 pm (Paris), updated on August 21, 2023, at 1:08 pm Pamela Druckerman

Series

In Los Angeles, the eccentric Kulapat Yantrasast embodies a city where anything is possible

'Los Angeles, an architect's dream' (6/6). The Japanese-trained architect breathes freedom into the Californian city. With his gift for coining new concepts, he is influenced by the worlds of art and fashion.

Published on August 15, 2023, at 3:09 pm (Paris), updated on June 18, 2024, at 3:46 pm Isabelle Regnier

Long Read

Daft Punk's New World odyssey

'How Daft Punk got lucky' (1/5). By conquering America, the French duo achieved a rare feat. In 2014, the album 'Random Access Memories' won five Grammy Awards and catapulted Daft Punk to global pop stardom.

Published on August 15, 2023, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on August 16, 2023, at 6:26 pm Bruno Lesprit

Long Read

A New Yorker's conquest of the French language

'The US, France and me' (2/5). Pamela Druckerman, an American journalist who has lived in Paris for almost 20 years, has never fully mastered the French language. The language – and its speakers – can be intimidating.

Published on August 14, 2023, at 6:01 pm (Paris), updated on August 21, 2023, at 1:13 pm Pamela Druckerman

Series

Hanns Eisler's '14 Ways of Describing the Rain,' an evocative shower of departures and separations

'The Art of Rain' (Part 8). This series of variations composed by one of Bertolt Brecht's comrades links together short movements for flute, clarinet, violin or viola, cello and piano.

Published on August 14, 2023, at 3:45 pm (Paris) Marie-Aude Roux

Long Read

The profile of a downtrodden F. Scott Fitzgerald that read more like an obituary

Some interviews with writers, actors and rock stars have become legendary 'classic moments,' thanks to a time when artists' voices were not tampered with by PR experts. In 1936, Michael Mok of the 'New York Post' visited the home of the author of 'The Great Gatsby.'

Published on August 14, 2023, at 12:30 pm (Paris) Samuel Blumenfeld

Series

The Sheats-Goldstein Residence, a modern gem for Hollywood's rich and famous

'Los Angeles, an architect's dream' (4/6). The spectacular house, designed by American architect John Lautner, is constantly being remodeled by its current owner. Similar buildings, which are the pride of the city, have little protection.

Published on August 13, 2023, at 7:00 pm (Paris), updated on June 18, 2024, at 3:47 pm Isabelle Regnier

Long Read

The myth of the American in Paris

'The US, France and me' (1/5). Pamela Druckerman is a journalist from New York who has lived in Paris for almost 20 years. So many Americans have settled in the French capital, she observes, that they have fractured into different tribes – which don't all fit into the classic 'American-in-Paris' narrative.

Published on August 13, 2023, at 6:01 pm (Paris), updated on August 16, 2023, at 4:47 pm Pamela Druckerman

Series

The Doors' 'Riders on the Storm,' a storm in the desert by Jim Morrison

'The Art of Rain' (Part 7). The band's legendary song, taking sublime inspiration from a country classic, was the last recorded by the singer/poet.

Published on August 13, 2023, at 5:45 pm (Paris) Franck Colombani

Series

LACMA: Los Angeles's future beacon of light and artistic renewal

'Los Angeles: An architect's dream' (5/6). In a city where museums are young, LACMA, the oldest and richest of them all, is undergoing a major reconstruction. The Peter Zumthor-designed building will open at the end of 2024, with the ambition of being more artistically inclusive.

Published on August 13, 2023, at 10:00 am (Paris) Isabelle Regnier

Series

The homeless, the fallen angels of Los Angeles

'Los Angeles: An architect's dream' (3/6). The City of Angels is home to no fewer than 42,000 homeless people, a small proportion of whom are rehoused in 5-square-meter shacks. The new mayor has made their shelter a priority, but it will be a tough job in a city where social housing is non-existent.

Published on August 11, 2023, at 8:00 pm (Paris) Isabelle Regnier

Series

Stéphane Tidet's 'Le Refuge,' a cabin drenched in a torrential downpour

'The Art of Rain' (Part 6). The artist has created an installation in which everything drips, an allegory of a reality that we can no longer trust.

Published on August 11, 2023, at 5:34 pm (Paris), updated on August 11, 2023, at 5:39 pm Emmanuelle Lequeux

Series

What should Los Angeles do with its forgotten river?

'Los Angeles: An architect's dream' (2/6) The river flows over a vast concrete bed that channels its floods, making it a veritable dumping ground, overlooked by its inhabitants. Despite a lack of political will, architects and landscape architects are trying to find a solution to revitalize the area.

Published on August 10, 2023, at 8:00 pm (Paris), updated on August 11, 2023, at 9:33 am Isabelle Regnier

Series

'Singin' in the Rain' by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown: Musical happiness under an umbrella

'The Art of Rain' (Part 5): The song was first performed by Cliff Edwards in Charles Reisner's musical 'The Hollywood Revue of 1929' but was most famously interpreted by Gene Kelly.

Published on August 10, 2023, at 2:40 pm (Paris), updated on August 10, 2023, at 5:13 pm Sylvain Siclier

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