We are endlessly fascinated by  the  French. We are fascinated by their way of life, their creativity and sophistication, and even their insistence that they are exceptional. But how did France become  the  country it is today, and what really sets it apart?

Historian Peter Watson sets out to answer  these questions in this dazzling history of France, taking us from  the  seventeenth century to  the  present day through  the  nation’s most influential thinkers.  He opens  the  doors to  the  Renaissance salons that brought together poets, philosophers and scientists, and tells  the forgotten stories of  the extraordinary women who ran  these institutions, fostering a culture of stylish intellectualism unmatched anywhere else in  the  world. It’s a story that takes us into Bohemian cafés and cabarets, into chic Parisian high culture via French philosophies of food, fashion and sex, and through two explosive revolutions.

The French Mind  is a history propelled by  the writers, revolutionaries and painters who loved, inspired and rivalled one another over four hundred years. It documents  the  shaping of a nation  whose global influence, in art, culture and politics, cannot be overstated.
__________________________________________

‘An encyclopaedic celebration of French intellectuals refusing to give up on universal principles, while remaining slim, bringing up well-behaved children and falling in love at every opportunity’ The Times

‘An engaging movement through time towards France’s recent reckonings with extremism, exceptionalism and empire’  TLS

We are endlessly fascinated by  the  French. We are fascinated by their way of life, their creativity, sophistication and self-assurance, and even their insistence that they are exceptional. But how did France become  the  country it is today, and what really sets it apart?

Journalist and historian Peter Watson sets out to answer  these questions in  The  French  Mind,  a dazzling history of France that takes us from  the  seventeenth century to  the  present day through  the  nation’s most influential thinkers.  He opens  the  doors to  the  Renaissance salons that were a breeding ground for poets, philosophers and scientists, and tells  the forgotten stories of  the extraordinary  succession of women who ran  these institutions, fostering a culture of stylish intellectualism unmatched anywhere else in  the  world.

It’s a story that takes us into Bohemian cafes and cabarets, into chic Parisian high culture via French philosophies of food, fashion and sex, while growing unrest hastens the bloody birth of a republic. From  the  1789  revolution to  the country’s occupation by Nazi Germany, Watson argues that a unique series of devastating military defeats helped shape the resilient, proud, innovative character of the French.

This  is a history of breathtaking ambition, propelled by  the  characters Watson brings to vivid life:  the  writers, revolutionaries and painters who loved, inspired and rivalled one another over four hundred years. It documents  the  shaping of a nation  whose global influence, in art, culture and politics, cannot be overstated.
_____________________________________________________________________

‘An encyclopaedic celebration of French intellectuals refusing to give up on universal principles, rooted in the Enlightenment and French Revolution, while remaining slim, bringing up well-behaved children and falling in love at every opportunity’ The Times

‘An engaging movement through time towards France’s recent reckonings with extremism, exceptionalism and empire’ TLS