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One of the main nicknames of Paris is the city of lights. Paris is also a literary haven, full of bookshops, bars and cafes where some of the world’s most famous authors have worked on great literature. From Victor Hugo to Simone de Beauvoir to James Baldwin, some of the greatest stories and philosophies have originated in the historic cafes and restaurants. Books set in Paris are still published constantly.
Paris is the city of romance. It is also one of the most romanticized cities. However you feel about the American-in-Paris rom-com show Emily in Paris, it’s a highly romanticized take on the city. American-in-Paris stories are an extremely popular genre of books about Paris, probably because of all the writers who moved to Paris and became enchanted by the city and its beautiful book-like locations. Many great novelists of the American literary canon spent time in the winding streets of the Parisian arrondissements. Audrey Hepburn’s oft-quoted line “Paris is always a good idea” is also likely to be of influence.
While studying abroad in Paris, friends and family rattled their favorite books and related locations around the city for me to visit during my stay there. Les Deux Magots and Shakespeare & Co. were first on the list. Although I haven’t been to Paris in a while, I can always return through the classic and contemporary books set in and around the City of Light.
Classic Books About Paris
Shakespeare and Company by Sylvia Beach
This is a fascinating account of literary giants in 1920s Paris. The current Shakespeare & Co. store in Paris is based on Sylvia Beach’s original store and lending library, which she opened in 1919. She published work in English and lent books, so it became a regular stop for foreign writers in the time between World War I and War II. Through her interactions with James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, and every other famous author you can think of, Sylvia Beach describes her involvement in establishing Paris as the literary city of the 20th century. Although she had to close her shop during the Nazi occupation of Paris in 1941, her legacy lives on in the new shop and writers come to Paris for inspiration.
Gigi and the Cat by Colette
This collection brings together two novellas by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (known as the mononymous Collete). Set in Belle Époque Paris, Gigi follows a teenage girl who learns the courtesan ways from her family, who are all first-class courtesans as well. A family friend named Gaston eventually falls in love with Gigi. The next story, La Chatte, is about a couple fighting for their devotion to their cat. Alain loves his cat more than he could ever love Camille, and the cat is a symbol of his childhood that he longs to return to. While both stories are a little strange to modern readers, Colette is an overlooked literary icon who has forged new avenues for female writers in France.
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
An American living in Paris, David is seduced by the city and its queer nightlife, despite his determination to live a normal heterosexual life. David is out of money and alone in Paris while his girlfriend is in Spain. Borrowing money from a shady character named Jacques, he meets Giovanni and goes back to his room and begins an affair. See the article : Israel and Italy Create New High – Tech Connections. David is torn between his competing desires – to be who he really is, or to live the life expected of him. However, Giovanni is looking for true love. Baldwin’s signature style makes this an exciting, complex read.
My Life in France by Julia Child
Julia Child’s memoir about her time in France with her husband Paul, formed the basis for Julie & Julia. One thing I’ve always loved about Julia Child is that she’s a great, engaging writer, especially in her recipe books. See the article : Which women’s sport benefited most from Title IX?. Her description of the meal in Paris that made her long to learn how to cook French food is truly transcendent. Her account of her cooking journey through Le Cordon Bleu and L’école des Trois Gourmandes with her cookbook writers is equally captivating and hilarious.
Historical Books Set in Paris
Passing Love by Jacqueline E. Luckett
After her best friend dies, Nicole-Marie decides to fulfill a lifelong dream and flees to Paris. She comes across a photo of her father and a mysterious woman with a loving message to the woman, and she tries to learn more about this woman and her connection to her. On the same subject : Virginia Proceedings Against Both Letters. Nicole’s story is set in the 1990s and we follow the woman in the photo, Ruby, through the tumultuous 1950s. Both women ran away chasing dreams, and there are even more connections than we see at first.
The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee
In 1882, a famous soprano at the Paris Opera gets the chance of a lifetime. Lilliet Berne stars in an opera whose plot is somehow full of secrets from her past that she thought were long buried. By chance, someone found Lilliet’s diary and incorporated her dramatic life story into the libretto. She was born in Minnesota before she became an Opera star. French society at the time was constantly embroiled in secrets and scandals. Come for the delightful backstage mystery, stay for the in-depth descriptions of famous operas.
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Contemporary Paris Books
Nowhere Girl by Magali le Huche, translated by Jessie Aufiery (September 6, 2022)
During high school in the 1990s, Magali falls completely in love with The Beatles. She falls for them to the extent that her days refocus on the music of The Beatles. Magali’s graphic memoir is more about her struggles with school and growing up. The memoir continues when Magali goes to school at Marsillon School in Paris. Her fear of school is literally starting to make her sick, so she starts homeschooling and sees a therapist. Leaving childhood behind causes Magali so much fear because it seems like everything and everyone changes: she wants to do well and be a good student, but her fear makes her out of control.
The Girl Who Reads on the Métro by Christine Féret-Fleury, translated by Ros Schwartz
Juliette is a young woman who finds herself stifled by the routines of her life: from home to office, from office to home, and again. Her only joy is riding the metro (the commuter train in Paris) and spinning fantastic stories about the people she sees reading several books across from her on the train. Juliette walks through a gate and meets Soliman, who recruits her to take stacks of books out into the world and match them with potential readers at his discretion. He then asks her to move into his bookstore and take care of his daughter Zadie while he is gone. Both dreamy and relatable to the quarterlife malaise, this book indulges in the sense of magic that always seems to be just around the corner in Paris.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
This book was one of my twin sister’s books and my favorite books when we were in 11th grade, and I may have obsessively searched for boarding schools where I could spend my senior year without too much disruption to my education (which are not here). Anna begins her senior year at a new school in a strange city, with all her friends in Atlanta. She meets Étienne and immediately falls for him, but he has a girlfriend. Anna spends her senior year in Paris and discovers that her love of Old Hollywood is well supported in the famed cinema city. It’s a recognizable YA novel about how hard it can be to talk to family about your feelings and what it feels like to start everything over.
The Book of Salt by Monique Truong
When Binh flees his home in Saigon in 1929, he works as a cook on a ship. He knows this is a great disappointment to his family. However, when he arrives in Paris, he sees an advertisement to become a house chef and joins the home of Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein. Binh becomes an important part of the household, loved for his humor by Toklas and Stein, and listens to their literary salons. Despite all this excitement, Binh is still lonely in a foreign land. When Stein and Toklas offer to take Binh back to America, he is caught between a new adventure or returning home. Binh is based on a reference to Alice and Gertrude having a Vietnamese cook in The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book.
Finding More of Paris
Paris is a great city for literary tourism and has a fascinating history with authors and art in general. An important part of the history of Paris is the occupation during World War II, so a lot of books about the war are set in Paris. Books set in Paris range from historical to contemporary fiction and are also spread across genres.
If you crave an even more French bookish life, there are a ton of great French books in translation and book cities to explore in France.
