United States
Beresford New york

OUR BERESFORD GHOST

The Beresford is one of the most magnificent buildings in New York City on Central Park West. That is where we settled when we arrived from Europe: in a large apartment with spacious, high-ceilinged rooms. It was light-filled, with a splendid view of the park. Marina, myself, and our two daughters were very happy there….

Marie Laveau

THE QUEEN OF VOODOO Part 3/3

Briskly, he walks through the French Quarters, crosses Jackson Square, turns around the Saint Louis Cathedral and reaches the gates of the cemetery bearing the same name. Now, he is no longer in a hurry. He takes his time to dawdle amongst the graves, looking for the one on which to lie. The moon, shining…

Marie Laveau

THE QUEEN OF VOODOO Part 2/3

As luck would have it, Marie Laveau soon after met the love of her life, Christophe Duminy de Glapion. She would never marry him, for the simple reason that he was white and that the law of the time forbade such an union, but they had many children – fifteen according to legend! In any…

Marie Laveau

THE QUEEN OF VOODOO Part 1/3

Marie Laveau was born in 1794, baptised and registered at the parish. Her origins remain, truth be told, rather murky: in her white and black blood mixed. It was even suspected that she had Native American blood. Some even said she was the daughter of a white nobleman and a black slave. In 1819, as…


The United States, the Sole Empire

The principle consequence of the fall of the Soviet Union was the dramatic imbalance of having the United States as the exclusive global power. Until then, political power had dominated in the Soviet Union, as it did similarly in the United States, owing to the tension and struggle between the two empires. After the disappearance…

The White House Ghost

  Wilhelmina couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned for hours in the large bed. She was preoccupied, she didn’t feel comfortable. All in all, the White House, which is spoken so highly of, is much smaller and much less comfortable than her European Palaces. However, since the independence of the United States, much of History…


Cold War, III

The United States never had imperialist ambitions. Although president Monroe declared the Americas under the hegemony of the United States, the country still preferred to remain within its own borders. It was Europe that requested intervention in two world wars and subsequently provided this imperial role. The Soviet Union, on the other hand, the heir…


Cold War, II

I lived through the Cold War, in the Paris of my youth. For us, America was a friend, the good empire, our protector. It was the United States that had gotten rid of the Nazis, it was the United States that would protect us against the Soviets. They were a sympathetic country, democratic; they desired…


The Cold War, I

The United States and the Soviet Union were considerable powers before World War II. Despite the decisive role the United States played in the first World War, and despite the international influence of communism, both states were principally focused on domestic matters. The United State was busy with the crisis and aftermath of 1929, and…

The Blue Nun of Texas

We find ourselves in Mexico, during the sixteenth century. Father Alonso Benavides is leading an expedition in the north. These missions were common, the Spanish Crown sent priests supported by soldiers to evangelize, to conquer virgin lands.   This time Father Benavides was tasked with “exploring” the great arid plains of what is today southern…