Customer Reviews

Literary Cafes of Paris

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This wonderful little book makes a good companion for whichever Paris guidebook you plan to carry. It not only lists many interesting Cafes to visit, but also gives interesting background information on the famous writers and other celebrities who once hung out in them. It gives you an excuse to visit parts of Paris you might not otherwise visit. Great book.

I stumbled across this little gem a few days before my wife finally dragged me to Paris in 1991. Lucky for me! Thanks to this work, we have come to love Paris, especially the Left Bank. Away from the tourist throngs, the reader can people watch and sip for literally hours reflecting upon Hemingway at the Brasserie Lipp, Picasso at the Cafe de Flore, Shirer at the Brasserie Balzar and so much more. It is truly amazing to me that these places still function just as they did 75 years ago and more. I considered myself a well educated and well traveled person, but this small volume has opened up a world that I knew about but never fully appreciated before and has made Paris one of my favorite vacation spots. To heck with the Louvre, this is what Paris is all about!

Put this small guide in your pocket, order an expresso and croissant at the Deux Magots or Select, then read about what writers drank and wrote and met what friends at this same table. You will find a brief history, names of writers, and any dramatic events that occurred in these famous literary cafes--all of which still exist. Though the cafe where Hemingway and Fitgerald has changed its name several times, the wood and brass bar where the two men bellied up is still there just around the corner from the Dome. Bon appetit!

This is the first book to take to France with you (or to give to a friend who is going). The history is brief, but it goes back two centuries.