Robinson’s Way
The rule of rogues
Commend a fool for his wit, or a rogue for his honesty and he will receive you into his favor. – Henry Fielding (1707-1754), English writer and judge I knew about so-called “rogue states” before [...]
The last of the wacky tycoons
What if everything in the world were a misunderstanding, what if laughter were really tears? - Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard During my long days of studying while home for the holidays, I would occasionally set [...]
Acts of service
I discovered it on a summer’s day, while at a yard sale in southwestern Paris. It was a red and gold book, which seemed to have aged well. On the cover was a man in [...]
A moveable diplomat
I saw a plaque across the street from a Starbucks, in the posh Parisian neighborhood of Saint-Philippe-du-Roule. The words on it read: Avenue Myron T. Herrick, 1854-1929. Ambassadeur des États-Unis en France. Citoyen de Paris. [...]
Home away from home?
From the time I arrived in France, aged three, with an American passport and barely able to form a sentence in any language, right up to today, my growing up has been punctuated by visits [...]
Chronicle of Clignancourt
In April 2024, my university’s Palestine Committee, comprising (but not limited to) students, began to organize general assemblies (assemblées générales in French or, more simply, AGs) on the Clignancourt campus. What are these assemblies? In [...]
Flying feet
The toot of the Montmartre tourist train outside the window of my walkup apartment. The repetitions of La Vie en Rose, Bella Ciao, and the Godfather theme music played on the accordion in the café [...]
Lazare, come forth
My uncle, who has lived in New York for decades, has said of Paris: “If you can’t find anything interesting when walking down the street, look to your left, to your right, or above you.” [...]
Third floor rhapsody
France Musique is one of my Paris radio stations of choice. Listening to it while in the city, as opposed to from a kitchen or living room in Normandy, has made a surprisingly noticeable change. [...]
Fragments of good things
Hello, pencil. Hello, notepad. The last time you two came together to write anything for this column was five months ago. Let me bring you up to date. I have moved to Paris, begun my [...]
How many more?
The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe. • From Gustave Flaubert, the 19th century French writer famous for "Madame Bovary." Jogging is a favorite activity of mine, and one might [...]
How I finally learned to stop worrying and love the prom
So tonight, gotta leave that nine to five up on the shelf, and just enjoy yourself. • A line from Michael Jackson's 1979 song "Off the Wall." As soon as I fit my leg through [...]
Author
Will Keppler Robinson
Will Keppler Robinson was born in Greenwich Village, New York, in 2005. He has written two poetry collections, a novel, and is currently working on his third novel. A passionate lover of music, he also translates and writes songs. He now lives in Paris, pursuing a dual major in history and English literature at the Sorbonne.