{"id":9928,"date":"2013-12-10T16:44:02","date_gmt":"2013-12-10T15:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colleensparis.com\/?p=9928"},"modified":"2020-11-05T14:48:57","modified_gmt":"2020-11-05T13:48:57","slug":"a-guide-to-paris-for-lovers-of-literature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-wptechsupport.com\/colleensparis\/2013\/12\/a-guide-to-paris-for-lovers-of-literature\/","title":{"rendered":"A Guide to Paris for Lovers of Literature"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Les<\/a>

Image source: Flickr user roger.salz<\/p><\/div>\n

Guest contributors: Marta L\u00f3pez and Josie Sampson<\/i>
\nParis:<\/i> the city that has spent centuries inspiring artists, writers, musicians, photographers and filmmakers alike \u2013 and within minutes of wandering the streets of the City of Light, it is not hard to see why.<\/p>\n

If, like me, it is literature in particular that tickles your artistic fancy, you are in luck. Home to around 1000 bookshops in the city and almost 100 libraries, Paris boasts an impressive literary history, having been home to the great writers, both past and present.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s where to head to follow in their footsteps for yourself, including Websites of Paris writing groups.<\/p>\n

Where to eat<\/i><\/h2>\n

Les Deux Magots <\/b>
\nPerhaps the most infamous hangout of Paris\u2019 literary and artistic elite, Les Deux Magots<\/a> boasts the arty bohemia of Saint-Germain-de- Pr\u00e9s as its home. Opened in 1912, Les Deux Magots became a debauched rendezvous for the likes of Hemingway,\u00a0Picasso and Breton\u00a0in the 1920s and Sartre, Camus and de Beauvoir in the 1950s. Envelop yourself in its charm and capture the magic of the great writers of the past by sitting in a window seat, nursing a coffee and letting those creative thoughts flow freely.
\n6 Place Saint-Germain des Pr\u00e9s, 75006 Paris\u00a0<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i>Closerie des Lilas<\/b>
\nAn affectionate favourite of both Joyce and Hemingway, Closerie des Lilas<\/a> is as historically romantic as literary caf\u00e9s come. With dark wood, dusky leather and jazz floating through the air, tables are adorned with engraved plaques of famous patrons past. With US prohibition going strong, Closerie des Lilas welcomed the likes of literary ex-pats Fitzgerald and Miller with open arms throughout the \u201820s and has remained a creative corner ever since.
\n171 Boulevard du Montparnasse, 75006 Paris<\/i><\/p>\n

\"Caf\u00e9<\/a>

Image source: Flickr user ayustety<\/p><\/div>\n

Caf\u00e9 de Flore<\/b>
\nOne of the oldest and most well-loved cafes in the whole of Paris, Caf\u00e9 de Flore<\/a> sits romantically at the corner of Boulevard Saint-Germain\u00a0and\u00a0Rue St. Benoit. With a fascinating history, including previous clientele such as Picasso, Sartre and Camus, Caf\u00e9 de Flore remains largely unchanged since its heyday in the early 20th century. Its classic art deco feel \u2013 all gilt mirrors, deep reds and mahogany \u2013 lends itself perfectly to whiling away an afternoon sipping a coffee and musing of times past
\n172 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i>L’Autre Caf\u00e9<\/b>
\nOnce known as The house with the Red Lantern<\/i> and notorious as a place to take ladies of the street, L\u2019Autre Caf\u00e9 has come a long way in the century since. These days, its reputation is as a modern day Les Deux Magots: a contemporary and cosmopolitan hangout for writers, filmmakers and artists alike. With a film-inspired interior, a regular rotation of visual art and photography exhibitions and plenty of places to plug in your laptop, it\u2019s a sure-fire hit to get those creative juices flowing.
\n62 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n

Where to stay<\/i><\/h2>\n
\"Interior<\/a>

Image source: Flickr user sarahstierch<\/p><\/div>\n

L\u2019Hotel<\/b>
\n<\/b>The resting place of literary gods, <\/span>L\u2019Hotel was once home to Oscar Wilde back in the days that it was known as H\u00f4tel d’Alsace. It was inside the walls of Room 16 that he infamously declared, “My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us has to go,” dying a few days later in 1900. L\u2019Hotel has come a long way since the times of Wilde and is now a fabulously luxurious 4 star hotel, still retaining that colourful and literary history that makes it so worthy of a visit.<\/span>
\n13 Rue des Beaux Arts, 75006 Paris\u00a0<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n

Hotel Pont Royale<\/b>
\nFollow in the footsteps of your favourite artistes and book a room at the Hotel Pont Royale. \u00a0It\u2019s at this exquisite Left Bank hotel that you can immerse yourself in the world of past guests such as James Joyce, Camus, Sartre and Garc\u00eda M\u00e1rquez. The best part is that it\u2019s just a stone\u2019s throw from those literary haunts of Caf\u00e9 de Flore and Les Deux Magots. What are you waiting for? Magnifique!<\/i>
\n7 Rue Montalembert, 75007 Paris<\/i><\/p>\n

Apostrophe Hotel<\/b>
\nIn homage to the writing, poetry and art that have graced its surrounding streets over the years, Apostrophe Hotel makes for a literature lover\u2019s Parisian home from home. Everything inside this cosy hotel is decorated with literature in mind, from the staircase decorated with letters to the walls adorned with the curling lines of poetry. Each room has its own design based on an artistic theme such as \u2018humanity\u2019, making it a quirky and fitting base from which to explore the rest of the city.
\n3 Rue de Chevreuse, 75006 Paris<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n

Where to explore<\/i><\/h2>\n
\"View<\/a>

Image source: Flickr user jimmyweee<\/p><\/div>\n

Shakespeare & Company<\/b>
\nSurely the spiritual home of writers the world over, the infamous Shakespeare & Company<\/a> is a sight not to be missed. This independent bookshop opened in 1919 by Sylvia Beach and was a literary corner frequented by the greats: Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein to name just a few. Moved to a new location due to the Second World War, todays Shakespeare & Company sits happily in the shadow of its predecessor.
\n37 rue de la B\u00fbcherie, 75005<\/i><\/p>\n

Hemingway\u2019s apartment<\/b>
\nMake a visit to the street where it all happened: Hemingway\u2019s Parisian apartment on the rue du Cardinal-Lemoine, shared with his wife of the time, Hadley. In a wet November of 1922, the newlywed pair decided to move to the reasonably cheap and rundown 5th<\/sup> arrondissement, in order to have more money to dedicate to their pursuit of travel, culture and hedonism. Although you can\u2019t go inside the apartment, just being nearby is enough for most.
\n74 rue du Cardinal-Lemoine<\/i><\/p>\n

The literary salon of the greats<\/b>
\nFor more than sixty years, American writer Natalie Clifford Barney hosted a literary salon at her home every Friday night. With a guest list reading like a Who\u2019s Who of the artistic world, attendees included Ezra Pound, Truman Capote, James Joyce, F Scott Fitzgerald, TS Eliot and Marcel Proust. Here writers and intellectuals alike listened and critiqued each other\u2019s work and generally revelled in discussions of their common culture.
\n20 rue Jacob, 75006 Paris<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/i>Where to Write<\/i><\/h2>\n

The Other Writers\u2019 Group<\/b>
\nIf you want to follow in the footsteps of your favourite literary heroes, then where better to do it than at Shakespeare and Company itself? Home a drop-in writing workshop, The Other Writers\u2019 Group<\/a> every Saturday from 5 pm to 7 pm, throw caution to the wind and dare to take your writing along \u2013 no reservation required! Simply bring six copies of a sample of your work along and prepare to share and critique each other\u2019s work. If you\u2019re not quite ready to take that step, you\u2019re still more than welcome to give heartfelt advice to others!
\n37 rue de la B\u00fbcherie, 75005 Paris<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/i>\u00a0Women\u2019s Creative Writing Workshop<\/b>
\nThis is the girl\u2019s<\/i> guide to Paris after all \u2013 so whether you\u2019re a budding Gertrude Stein or a flamboyant Zelda Fitzgerald, come along to the Women\u2019s Creative Writing Workshop at Write at the Top. Classes at this seven-week workshop are intimate, giving you the platform to nurture, inspire and collaborate with your fellow female writers. What\u2019s more, classes take place in the delicious Sugarplum Cake Shop! Check out the website for course dates.
\n68 rue du Cardinal Lemoine 75005 Paris<\/i><\/p>\n

Paris Caf\u00e9 Writing<\/b>
\nIf you\u2019re looking to immerse yourself in an intensive week of writing, learning and exploring, Paris Caf\u00e9 Writing<\/a> might just be right up your street. A weeklong writing workshop combined with free afternoons to explore the City of Light, this course is perfect for those looking for a little structure and guidance alongside their own inspiration. Including seminars, personal tuition and even meals, Paris Caf\u00e9 Writing is a great kick-start to your life as a writer in Paris! Again, check the website for the most up-to-date information.<\/p>\n

By Marta L\u00f3pez<\/a>\u00a0and Josie Sampson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For guest contributors, Marta L\u00f3pez and Josie Sampson, Paris is the city that has spent centuries inspiring artists, writers, musicians, photographers and filmmakers alike \u2013 and within minutes of wandering the streets of the City of Light, it is not hard to see why.<\/p>\n

If, like them, it is literature in particular that tickles your artistic fancy, you\u2019re in luck. Home to around 1000 bookshops in the city and almost 100 libraries, Paris boasts an impressive literary history, having been home to the great writers, both past and present.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[680,669,663],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-accommodations","category-books-guides-writing-workshops","category-food-drink-health"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/staging-wptechsupport.com\/colleensparis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Le-Deux-Magots.jpg?fit=620%2C429&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-wptechsupport.com\/colleensparis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-wptechsupport.com\/colleensparis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-wptechsupport.com\/colleensparis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-wptechsupport.com\/colleensparis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-wptechsupport.com\/colleensparis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9928"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/staging-wptechsupport.com\/colleensparis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18656,"href":"https:\/\/staging-wptechsupport.com\/colleensparis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9928\/revisions\/18656"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-wptechsupport.com\/colleensparis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-wptechsupport.com\/colleensparis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-wptechsupport.com\/colleensparis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-wptechsupport.com\/colleensparis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}