From the bestselling author of The Most Beautiful Walk in the World comes this first book in an exciting new series of narrative “biographies” of Paris’s great neighborhoods, beginning with Saint-Germain-des-Pres the city’s “rebel quarter,” for centuries a center of artistic, intellectual, and revolutionary activity and home to some of Paris’s most iconic cafes and shops.
For many years, Saint-Germain-des-Pres has been a stronghold of sans culottes, a refuge to artists, a paradise for bohemians. It’s where Marat printed L’Ami du Peuple and Thomas Paine wrote The Rights of Man. Napoleon, Hemingway, and Sartre have all called it home. Descartes is buried there. Now bestselling author and Paris expert, John Baxter takes readers and travelers on a narrative tour of Saint-Germain-des-Pres, which is also where Baxter makes his home.
Tucked along the shores of the Left Bank, Saint-Germain-des-Pres embodies so much of what makes Paris special. Its cobblestone streets and ancient facades survive to this day, spared from modernization thanks to a quirk in their construction. Traditionally cheap rents attracted outsiders and political dissidents from the days of Robespierre to the student revolts of the 1960s. And its intellectual pedigree boasts such luminaries as Pablo Picasso, Arthur Rimbaud, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Simone de Beauvoir, Gertrude Stein, and Albert Camus. Baxter reveals all, guiding readers to the cafes, gardens, shops, and monuments that bring this hidden history to life.
Part-history, part-guidebook, Saint-Germain-des-Pres is a fresh look at one of the City of Light’s most iconic quarters, and a delight for new tourists and Paris veterans alike.
About the Author
John Baxter has lived in Paris for more than twenty years. He is the author of four acclaimed memoirs about his life in France: The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France; The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris; Immoveable Feast: A Paris Christmas; and We'll Always Have Paris: Sex and Love in the City of Light. Baxter, who gives literary walking tours through Paris, is also a film critic and biographer whose subjects have included the directors Fellini, Kubrick, Woody Allen, and most recently, Josef von Sternberg.
Born in Australia, he lives with his wife and daughter in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood, in the same building Sylvia Beach called home.
Industry Reviews
"John Baxter and his incredible knowledge made me feel like I was walking through history. Anyone who reads this book will experience the artists, writers, and beauty of Paris come to life as if they were standing on the streets of St. Germain themselves." -- Maria Bello, actress and author of Whatever... Love is Love "Another delightful salute to Paris. ... Whether you're planning your first trip to Paris or absolutely have to stop in Paris on your way anywhere, this book, in addition to the author's previous guides, is essential." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred) "Saint-Germain-des-Pres embodies so much of what makes Paris special. ... It's precisely this fascinating history that John Baxter has brought to life. ... Baxter is without question a good man to tell the story of one of the City of Light's most iconic quarters." -- World Traveller "If you want to know what has made Saint-Germain-des-Pres so special, read this captivating account. As only a long-term resident can, John Baxter offers the reader improbable connections that surprise, amuse, and magically cohere into the story of a Paris quartier like no other." -- Thad Carhart, author of The Piano Shop on the Left Bank "Saint-Germain's story, in Baxter's able hands, spans centuries and often hops its own borders. Readers will surely enjoy the leaps, for the destination here really is the diversion... and will count themselves lucky to be in the company of such an engaging Paris pro." -- Booklist
