An in-depth look at the hidden power of the mistral wind and its effect on modern French history.

Every year, the chilly mistral wind blows through the Rhône Valley of southern France, over the northwest coast of the Gulf of Lion, and into the Mediterranean. Most forceful when winter turns to spring, the wind is sometimes brisk and sustained, and other times, it unleashes violent gusts. It knocks over trees or permanently bends them into claw-like shapes, it sweeps trains off their tracks, and it destroys crops. Yet, the mistral turns the sky clear and blue, as it often appears in depictions of Provence. The legendary wind is central to the area’s regional identity, inspiring artists and writers near and far for centuries.

This force of nature is the focus of Catherine Dunlop’s The Mistral, a beautifully written examination of the power of the mistral wind, and in particular, the ways it has challenged central tenets of nineteenth-century European society: order, mastery, and predictability. As Dunlop shows, while the modernizing state sought liberation from environmental realities through scientific advances, land modification, and other technological solutions, the wind blew on, literally crushing attempts at control, and becoming increasingly integral to regional feelings of place and community.