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Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wartime jewel thief's story a fab summer read
The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau is the perfect summer read for those who want to engage with important subjects but still enjoy a light-hearted story. Its author, Florida-based Kristin Harmel, is the New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen novels translated into more than 30 languages. Her latest is part historical fiction, part mystery, part romance and part family saga. It delves into the lingering grief from the Nazi occupation of Paris during the Second World War through the lives of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust and of former French Resistance members. When the novel opens in 2018, Colette Marceau is an 89-year-old retired librarian living in Boston, and still active in her calling as a jewel thief. The last known descendant of Robin Hood, she was raised by her mother since the age of six to see stealing as her destiny. The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau The family code requires she steal only from people who are evil or corrupt — in this case, Nazis and neo-Nazis — and that she must use all the money to do good in the world. As a teenager, Colette's thefts supported the French Resistance in purchasing safe passage for Jews in hiding, and as an adult, she is an anonymous patron of numerous charities, most notably the Boston Holocaust Education Centre. However, all is not well with Colette — her life is 'stolen' both in the sense that she has spent it stealing, and that a normal childhood and family life has been stolen from her by the war. She is haunted by her memories of her childhood in Paris, where she was raised as the daughter of an English mother and French father. During the Second World War, she lost her mother, her sister, her mother's Jewish friend and the Jewish boy she loved, as well as her father having abandoned her. As a result, she found herself too emotionally damaged to marry or have children, which she now regrets, though she does have a surrogate daughter, Aviva, who she took into her home when she was orphaned at 18. Colette has in her possession half of a stunning divisible diamond bracelet that was created especially for her mother's Jewish friend, Hélène Rosman, to celebrate the birth of her twins. When Hélène was arrested by the Nazis, they took the bracelet from her, but Colette's mother stole it back, intending to return it to her friend after the war. She hid half of it on Colette's person and half on the person of Colette's sister, Liliane, but that half disappeared when Liliane was murdered. Hélène subsequently perished at Auschwitz. In 2018, the other half of the bracelet surfaces in an exhibition in Boston, loaned by an anonymous donor, and this sets in motion Colette's quest to learn the donor's identity and thereby also discover who killed her sister. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. The novel switches between 2018 and 1940s France, showing the devastation caused by Nazis and those who collaborated with them. Harmel delves into the moral complexity of those tasked with upholding standards and serving the public (police officers, schoolteachers) who instead support and do evil, while those deemed to be wrongdoers — thieves — are the characters who stand for goodness and have principles. Colette and her eventual romantic partner, Daniel, are refreshing to read as older characters around the age of 90 who are not stereotypes — rather, they are full and nuanced personalities who fall in love and experience passion. They use cell phones with ease, live independent, full lives and take centre stage in their own story, though they also feel their mortality, regret aspects of their pasts and use their age when convenient to avoid certain tasks. The novel is fast moving and well-paced, with the 1940s and 2018 sections holding equal interest. The clues to the history of the bracelet unfold along with two budding romances — those of both Colette and Aviva. The way things wrap up is perhaps a little too convenient, coming by way of a series of large coincidences, with the last reveal apparent several chapters earlier, but it will satisfy those readers who crave a happy ending. Zilla Jones is a Winnipeg-based writer of short and long fiction. Her debut novel The World So Wide was published in April.
The Star
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Paris unveils mural of Josephine Baker to honour her legacy
Paris is reviving the spirit of U.S.-French entertainer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker with a new mural. Fifty years after her death, Baker now gazes out over a diverse neighbourhood of northeast Paris, thanks to urban artist FKDL and a street art festival aimed at promoting community spirit. Born in St Louis, Baker became a megastar in the 1930s, especially in France, where she moved in 1925 as she sought to flee racism and segregation in the United States. In addition to her stage fame, Baker also spied on the Nazis for the French Resistance and marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr in Washington. She died in Paris in 1975. ''I feel moved and I feel happy, because this is part of a memory of my mother,' her son Brian Baker told the Associated Press at the unveiling of the mural last Saturday. He was one of 12 children Josephine Baker adopted from around the world that she called her ″rainbow tribe″ and what her son called ''a little United Nations.″ The mural of Baker, symbolising freedom and resistance, is one of several painted recently in the neighbourhood by the Paris Colors Ourq association. Photo: AP The mural of Baker, meant to symbolise freedom and resistance, is among several painted in recent days in the neighbourhood and organised by the association Paris Colors Ourq. The artist FKDL said he focuses on ''bringing women back into the urban landscape.' "Josephine Baker has always been, for me, a somewhat iconic figure of that era. Both wild and free-spirited, but also deeply connected to music, musicals, and dance,″ he said. ''She was an extraordinary character, an incredible woman." Baker was the first Black woman inducted into France's Pantheon, joining such luminaries as philosopher Voltaire, scientist Marie Curie and writer Victor Hugo. ''My mother wouldn't have liked words like iconic, star, or celebrity. She would have said, no, no let's keep it simple,″ her son said. - AP
Euronews
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Paris honours entertainer Josephine Baker with vibrant new mural
Paris is welcoming back one of its brightest stars – not on stage this time, but on a wall. Josephine Baker, the legendary performer, French Resistance spy, and civil rights activist, now watches over a diverse neighbourhood in northeast Paris thanks to a striking new mural. The artwork, set just off the Canal de l'Ourcq, is the latest creation by urban artist FKDL and part of a local street art festival aimed at boosting community spirit. And it's not just a pretty painting – it's a powerful reminder of Baker's legacy. 'I feel moved and I feel happy, because this is part of a memory of my mother,' said her son Brian Baker at the mural's unveiling on Saturday, speaking to the Associated Press. Brian is one of 12 children Josephine Baker adopted from across the globe – a group she fondly referred to as her 'rainbow tribe', or what Brian calls 'a little United Nations'. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Baker became a huge star in the 1930s after moving to France in 1925 to escape segregation in the United States. But her life was never just about the spotlight. She bravely spied on the Nazis for the French Resistance during the Second World War, and later marched beside Martin Luther King Jr. during the U.S. civil rights movement. The new mural – designed to represent freedom and resistance – is one of several recent artworks commissioned in the area by the group Paris Colours Ourq. FKDL, who specialises in celebrating women through street art, said Baker has long been a personal inspiration. 'Josephine Baker has always been, for me, a somewhat iconic figure of that era. Both wild and free-spirited, but also deeply connected to music, musicals, and dance,' he said. 'She was an extraordinary character, an incredible woman.' In 2021, Baker became the first Black woman to be inducted into France's Panthéon, joining the ranks of Voltaire, Marie Curie and Victor Hugo. But according to her son, she never cared for the limelight. 'My mother wouldn't have liked words like iconic, star, or celebrity. She would have said, no, no let's keep it simple,' he said.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mural celebrating life of star performer Josephine Baker unveiled in Paris
Just over 50 years after Josephine Baker's death and nearly four since she was inducted into the Panthéon in Paris, a street art festival in the north-eastern part of the city has honoured the American performer with a mural. The brainchild of the Paris Colors Ourq association, the work is one of several murals in the neighbourhood to promote community spirit and celebrate diverse cultural figures. Born in St Louis, Missouri, on 3 June 1906, Baker eschewed conventions from an early age and rose to become a star singer and dancer in the 1930s, especially in France. She later deployed that aura and her itinerant lifestyle as a cover to spy on the Nazis for the French Resistance during World War II. She was later a fervent advocate for the civil rights movement in her homeland marching alongside Martin Luther King Jr in his campaigns for equality. Baker an iconic figure 'Josephine Baker has always been, for me, a somewhat iconic figure of that era," said urban artist FKDL who created the mural. "She was both wild and free-spirited, but also deeply connected to music, musicals, and dance,″ he added. ''She was an extraordinary character, an incredible woman. The mural is also about bringing women back into the urban landscape." Baker's zest for the alternative took her to a chateau in southern France where she raised 12 adopted children from around the world. ''I feel moved and I feel happy, because this is part of a memory of my mother,' her son Brian Baker told the Associated Press news agency at the unveiling of the mural. In November 2021, Baker became the first black woman to be inducted into the Panthéon, joining luminaries as philosopher and writer Voltaire, scientist Marie Curie and the writer Victor Hugo. ''My mother wouldn't have liked words like iconic, star, or celebrity," said Brian Baker. "She would have said: 'No, no let's keep it simple.'" Two years ago in Colombes on the western fringes of Paris, artists unveiled a mural of Baker. Spanning more than 200 square meters, the mural salutes various scenes from her life. Baker died on 12 April, 1975, a few days after starring in a retrospective revue at the Bobino in Paris to celebrate her 50 years in show business.
Gulf Today
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Paris unveils mural of Josephine Baker to honour her legacy
Paris is reviving the spirit of U.S.-French entertainer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker with a new mural. Fifty years after her death, Baker now gazes out over a diverse neighborhood of northeast Paris, thanks to urban artist FKDL and a street art festival aimed at promoting community spirit. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Baker became a megastar in the 1930s, especially in France, where she moved in 1925 as she sought to flee racism and segregation in the United States. In addition to her stage fame, Baker also spied on the Nazis for the French Resistance and marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington. She died in Paris in 1975. Josephine Baker in 1940, photograph by Studio Harcourt. ''I feel moved and I feel happy, because this is part of a memory of my mother," her son Brian Baker told the Associated Press at the unveiling of the mural Saturday. He was one of 12 children Josephine Baker adopted from around the world that she called her ″rainbow tribe″ and what her son called ''a little United Nations.″ The mural of Baker, meant to symbolize freedom and resistance, is among several painted in recent days in the neighborhood and organized by the association Paris Colors Ourq. The artist FKDL said he focuses on ''bringing women back into the urban landscape." Brian Baker, son of US-French entertainer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker, stands in front of a new mural of his mother painted by artist Franck Duval, aka FKDL, in Paris, on Saturday. AP "Josephine Baker has always been, for me, a somewhat iconic figure of that era. Both wild and free-spirited, but also deeply connected to music, musicals, and dance,″ he said. ''She was an extraordinary character, an incredible woman." Baker was the first Black woman inducted into France's Pantheon, joining such luminaries as philosopher Voltaire, scientist Marie Curie and writer Victor Hugo. ''My mother wouldn't have liked words like iconic, star, or celebrity. She would have said, no, no let's keep it simple,″ her son said. Associated Press
