The man in the red skirt

A Journey through Belle Epoque Paris Julian Barnes met Dr. Samuel Pozzi (1846-1918) while looking at John Sargent Singer's portrait "Man in the Red Skirt." It depicts the pioneering physician, free spirit, and intellectual scientist who was far ahead of his time. Knowledgeable and elegant, Julian Barnes describes Dr. Pozzi's dazzling life and paints a picture of an era we now call the Belle Époque, which, in addition to beauty and glamor, also had its ugly side: hysterical, narcissistic and violent, a time with more parallels to our present than we commonly imagine. Dr. Pozzi stood for a close exchange between England and France. Julian Barnes sheds light on these fruitful relations and at the same time writes an exciting plea to hold on to the idea of Europe.