France

The best defence against the people trying to manipulate the past for their own ends is to read history. Lots of it. Trust me, you will not regret it

De Gaulle managed it – twice. But there was one thing the general understood that the current French president does not

Growing up in France I regularly barricaded my school. Spending time screaming about the state of the nation is healthier than you might think

The Green leader did well during the final phase of the Starmer collapse when people wanted something new. But now he seems like yesterday’s news

The people-watching painter’s scenes of dancing and flirting captured a Paris on the brink of a social revolution

The French eat three million jambon-beurre baguettes a day – and an affordable place in Paris might serve up the greatest

The hopeful are full of hope, the graceful show grace – but the bashful aren’t full of bash

Firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon is squeezing out the moderate left - and wants to sink autumn’s budget too

The novelist’s portrait of a movie star raises unsettling questions about privacy and truth

If Le Pen wins next year and goes through with a threat to step back from Nato, the consequences for western security could be dire

French newspapers are mad as hell with Google for using their content in their AI search results – so now 300 of them are suing

The Love Me Tender star on method acting, motherhood and refusing to fit in

A new documentary captures the conundrum of the ultimate individual in a team sport

Open warfare between supporters of the far right rivals has turned the National Rally party into an episode of Succession

France’s far right presidential candidate could end up campaigning while wearing an electronic tag

Visiting JR’s La Caverne du Pont Neuf, the installation a storm couldn’t stop

As a killer heatwave grips France, an argument over air conditioning has become so fierce that it could sway the national political mood.

The monster movie stood out at a festival full of three-star films

There are good reasons for some old websites to expire, but huge amounts of personal history go with them

AI slop wrecks a compelling final interview, but Cantona, Full Phil and Paper Tiger stand out at Cannes

In a Vanity Fair interview, the star footballer said he was worried by the rise of the hard right. The result was a wave of race-baiting, and the return of the big Le Pen lie: that unless you’re white, you’re not really French

French Protestants came in search of religious freedom. Then the Glorious Revolution changed everything

Edward Chisholm’s first book was so good I’m making a movie of it. The second is even better

Deborah Levy tries but comes up short in a stylish romp through Paris in search of the exiled author and scenester

Young people have turned away from the French classic – but that doesn’t mean the end of artisan boulangeries

The ‘charming, cool’ winner of best male newcomer at France’s Grammys wants his eclectic style to cross the channel

The far right CNews channel was following a familiar template to boost extremists. Then came the race row that may see it closed down

A new exhibition explores his radical transformation from law professor to abstract art rebel

A French reality TV star gained national attention by outraging the viewing public. What followed was tragedy

The bar recent French elections was low. Still, France managed to lumber over it

It’s very easy to get drawn into a life shaped entirely by the ogres who control the algorithms of social media. But that’s the route to populism. Why not go outside, and see what’s going on in the trees?

Her remarkable wartime exploits – including a dramatic prison break – made her a legend of the French Resistance