Paris Region and literature: a whole story

Opposite the Garnier Opera stands a historic restaurant which takes pride of place among the district’s theatres. Since 1862, the Café de la Paix with its Napoleon III décor has been the haunt of everyone who was anyone in Paris. Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust and many others have set the world to rights here. In fact, it was around one of these tables that the very first Goncourt Academy meeting was held, in 1903. Hemingway even described the setting in his book, The Sun Also Rises.

Head for the Café de Flore to relive the lively evening vibe of the Parisian intelligentsia. Here, beneath the Art-Deco chandeliers, is where Breton, Apollinaire, Eluard and other great surrealist artists took refuge. Located next door to Gallimard, the café habitually served the publishing company’s authors and clients for free, much to the dismay of the waiters. A delicious place with a feel of olden-day Paris.

A short distance away, a neighbouring establishment has enjoyed the same prestige as its rival since the 19th century: Les Deux Magots. In the beautiful Art-Deco setting, Boris Vian had many a crowd swinging to the sound of his trumpet. Verlaine, Mallarmé and Rimbaud would spend hours of the day or night debating amid curls of cigar smoke. The writers may have gone, but the authentic feel of the venue remains, under the watchful eye of its two iconic magot statues.

Masterpieces of gastronomy and literature mingle together at this café, another venue dating back to the 19th century. As a hotspot of French cuisine, the restaurant has also been the haunt of panel members for the Goncourt prize since 1914, and for the Renaudot prize since 1926. So it is in the intimacy of a private lounge that they honour the winning authors year after year. But not just any authors! Perec, De Beauvoir and Duras are all among the long list of successful prizewinners.

Fancy trying a whisky full of character in a hushed atmosphere? Head for the Ritz Hotel. Among the padded armchairs and models of boats, time has stopped precisely in the era of Ernest Hemingway, who was a regular customer of this famous cocktail bar. Legend has it that Cole Porter also composed some of his best jazz tunes here. A legendary place.

Notre-Dame has lived several lives. Wounded during the French Revolution, saved from demolition by the likes of Victor Hugo, and spared by a fire some 200 years later… This cathedral on the Île de la Cité has so many stories to tell. Go and unveil the secrets behind its unique architecture, its gargoyles and its enormous rose windows.

Since it opened in 1875, the Garnier Opera has inspired many a legend. Among them is the story of Ernest, a pianist who lived as a recluse in the opera’s passageways after his mother (or fiancée, according to some versions), was burnt to death during dance rehearsals. It is said that the site is still haunted by his spirit, which inspired Gaston Leroux to write one of his novels, entitled, quite simply, Le Fantôme de l’Opéra.

Stop off at the sublime Place des Vosges in the heart of the Marais district. Look up to see Victor Hugo’s apartment tucked among the private mansions. Amid paintings, manuscripts and furnishings, the 280-m² site plunges you into the daily routine of the author who gave Notre-Dame Cathedral a new lease of life.

It was in this discreet house to the west of Paris that some of the best chapters of the Rougon-Macquart saga were written. More than just a writer, Zola was a fervent defender of human dignity, as his involvement in the Dreyfus affair illustrates. His story is revealed as you walk through the rooms of this museum, the house where the novelist lived for 25 years.

Nothing about this plain (but elegant) house suggests that it was once the home of one of the greatest writers of the 19th century: Balzac. His excessive lifestyle forced him to take refuge from his creditors here for several years. The house is now a museum that reveals the writer’s glory days. Improving your knowledge can make you hungry, so head for the garden to enjoy a delicious break at the Rose Bakery tearoom.

As if it weren’t enough to enjoy his success with The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas had a neo-gothic château built featuring sculpted façades. To complete the idyllic picture, he added an English garden with ornamental ponds and waterfalls. A picturesque place to visit for literature and architecture enthusiasts.

A pilgrimage site of a different kind stands opposite Notre-Dame. On the other side of the river, Shakespeare & Company warms the hearts of language and literature fans with a British penchant. Which isn’t surprising, considering that its many bookshelves are filled with the works of 20th-century authors who have visited this bookshop. The perfect place to enjoy a cup of tea and to browse, read and daydream.

Jousseaume is one of the not-so-well-hidden treasures of Paris, displaying books by the thousand in its majestic Vivienne gallery. Collectors and bookworms will surely find what they’re looking for within the walls of one of the oldest bookshops in Paris which is the most ancient shop still in business of this Belle Epoque gallery.