A picture taken by my grandmother of a nurse and Rommel at the Hospital Fochs. After Richard left and there was no sign of him and no visa came it became clear that they were not going to be going to Africa at all. This was the plan, that all three of them would be going there. They had to return to the flat in Suresnes. I have a copy of a Larousse, 'ex libris' Richard Steinhardt, which he bought in 1931. Mom was a star student. I imagine her consulting the Larousse. My own children consulted the Spanish Larousse to do their homework. Larousse is an institution. This is a more innocent Larousse. Before WW2. In the Larousse is a map based on a Mercator projection of Africa. Africa looks a little dumpy and small, but sweet. You can just make out the bottom half of France. I pass my hand over the map. The paper is cool and silky. On the other side of the page is a series of sketches of African animals. Strangely prescient images. Mom loved Gnus. There's a gnu. The lion h
Left wing commentary from the heart and the head