Paris Unlocked Newsletter

As some of you may know, we’re currently working on the next full four episodes in our ongoing season for The French Culture Podcast, Great French Icons of the 20th century. If you haven’t yet, please go back and listen to our first four installments in the series, which explore the fascinating lives, legacies and inner workings of Henri Matisse, Edith Piaf, and Josephine Baker.

by Rachel Naismith, Guest Contributor {Note from Courtney: This month I’m once again giving the floor to Rachel Naismith, a Paris-based writer and food critic who’s contributed some amazing features to Paris Unlocked over the past few years. Make sure to follow her on Instagram.} Paris is currently in the midst of la rentrée, that quasi–New Year’s Day moment in early September when the capital snaps back to life after a lazy summer of ice cream by the sea.

Josephine Baker performing the Charleston in the “Revue Nègre” in Paris, circa 1925. Public domain. I’m still getting over a stubborn case of jetlag after flying home from a visit with family in the US and Canada. But despite my flagging brain activity (which has admittedly sapped any desire I might have to produce, say, words on a screen), I wanted to get something out to you this month.

A typical pastry made in Austria and Eastern Europe, the kipferl is widely thought to be the ancestor of the French butter croissant. How did it become the steam-baked, buttery thing of beauty that the French have successfully exported? Image: meiliabstespeis.at. It’s well known that many bakeries and patisseries around France close up shop for much of August: a fact that miserably coincides with the height of summer tourist season.

Edith Piaf in 1946, photographed by Harcourt. Public domain image This week, I’m offering a bit of a behind-the-scenes look at Episode 4 of The French Culture Podcast: the second installment in our two-part look at Edith Piaf. If you haven’t listened to Part I, I suggest you go back and do so now before lending your ear to the current episode.

In this bonus episode for The French Culture Podcast, I tackle a common myth about Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso: were they really “frenemies”, or is the truth more complicated? I also offer a behind-the-scenes looks at my research process for the full episode (Ep. 2) on Matisse, and share some glimpses into Matisse’s physical presence and other personality quirks, courtesy of one of his contemporaries. At left: Henri Matisse, “Self Portrait in a Striped T-Shirt, 1906”.

A hearty French southwestern- style dish from Chez Gladines, one of the more casual Latin Quarter restaurants recommended by Rachel in her new piece. Image: Chez Gladines/Facebook page I’ve often mused on the surprising problem of terrible food and restaurants in Paris, and noted just how widespread it is in the capital.

This week I dropped my four full episodes of The French Culture Podcast to players including Apple, Spotify and RSS: something that felt momentous after almost a year of feverish work on this project. If you didn’t get or read last week’s issue, I shared Episode 2, on the life and legacy of the painter Henri Matisse, as an exclusive for Substack subscribers.

French History & Culture Exclusive: The Radically Colorful World of Henri Matisse (S1E2) 1× 0:00 Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -1:01:54 -1:01:54 Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. Exclusive: The Radically Colorful World of Henri Matisse (S1E2) An early release from my new podcast, and a warm thanks to my subscribers Henri Matisse, “Open Window at Collioure”, 1905. Oil on canvas.

(You can also listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.) It’s been a long few months in the making, but production is well underway on the first season of the French Culture Podcast (by Paris Unlocked)— and today I’m thrilled to be able to introduce it properly with a preview episode. The podcast is a sister project for Paris Unlocked and this newsletter, and my intention is for the three to “talk” to one another in various ways, thematically and content-wise.