Full Description
Nobody knows the city of light like Paris resident and travel writer John Baxter - and nobody is able to write about its culture quite so intriguingly. Let him guide you around the Paris you've always wanted to know.
How was Ernest Hemingway received by the city he wrote so much about, and where did he rub shoulders with other literary greats? Are Parisian waiters really as rude as their reputation, and why do they race each other down the street in the annual Course des Garcons de Café? And where can you find fascinating remnants of the city's history of violent revolution, jazz music, and bold artistic movements?
From the reality of the city's café culture and its literary luminaries, to some of its more curious landmarks, obscure events and unusual inhabitants, Untold Paris will give the first-time visitor a vivid impression of the city and offer seasoned travellers a new vision of the city they love.
The people, the quirks, peculiarities, charms and eccentricities; the history and secrets. Welcome to the untold Paris.
Praise for John Baxter's previous work:
We'll Always Have Paris: Sex and Love in the City of Light - "towers above most recent memoirs of life abroad" Sunday Times.
The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France - International Association of Culinary Professionals Award, "Full of humor, insight, and mouth-watering details... a delightful tour of traditional French culture and cuisine." Travel and Leisure.
Eating Eternity: Food and Wine in the Art and Literature of France - "Gorgeous" New York Times
Contents
Introduction
ART AND CULTURE
Caf.s and Literature
Buskers, Beggars and Mimes
Jean-Luc Godard and La Nouvelle Vague
Art Nouveau
The Op.ra and Its Phantom
No Direction Home
Art in the Air
Hot or Not?
Surrealism
Death and Resurrection
The 1962 Malraux Law
Eiffel and His Monument
Belgian Blocks and Haussmann Cobbles
FOOD AND DRINK
Snails
The Ortolan
The Art of French Pastry
The Rise of Le Cocktail
Bread and History
Who Invented Chocolate?
The Yearly Race
Waiters and Waiting
HISTORY
The History of Bastille Day
Duelling and Duellists
The 1871 Commune
Domestic Labour and La Femme de M.nage
The 1924 Olympics
Raymond and Isadora Duncan
The Teller or the Tale?
The German Occupation
1968 and Its Evenements
Brits and Royals in Paris
IN THE SHADOWS
Opium
The Pissoir and Dames Pipis
The Secret Citizens
Crime in Post-War Paris
Some Murderers
The Girl in the Champagne Bath
Exploring Paris After Dark
WAYS OF LIFE
Parisians and Their Pools
The French and Funerals
The Fight for Metrication
To Tip or Not to Tip?
Going, Going, Gone...
Roland Garros and the Red Game
Learning to Love the M.tro
The French and Naturism
The French Game
French vs English
Dogs, and What They Leave Behind
Index
About the author
