Literary cafés in Paris
Omer Ali orders an espresso, pulls out his notebook and waits for inspiration to strike
Some of Paris’s most popular cafés boast a literary heritage; the more romantically inclined crowd pavement tables in the St-Germain or Montparnasse districts in the hope of soaking up the bookish atmosphere. You never know, some of that literary inspiration may rub off.
The golden age of grand boulevard cafés was the late 19th century, when Baron Haussmann was creating his spectacular plans for the city, but only one example survives: the Café de la Paix, a retreat for authors such as Henry James, Gustave Flaubert and Guy de Maupassant, as well as notorious dancer Josephine Baker and tenor Enrico Caruso.
But in the popular imagination there are two periods that really count: the 1920s, when it seems you could barely move for American writers such as F Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby) and hardman Ernest Hemingway (A Farewell To Arms) – and during World War II and into the 1950s, a period personified by the existentialist philosophers, notably Jean-Paul Sartre and his on-off partner Simone de Beauvoir.
Where there were writers and thinkers, there were also artists, such as Picasso or the Surrealists, who started a riot in the Closerie des Lilas by insulting France in front of other customers. In Montparnasse, Victor Libion, the owner of La Rotonde, would often accept drawings until an artist could settle his bill.
Now, of course, those pieces of artwork would be worth a fortune. And, now, places that once allowed struggling artists and writers to pay a few centimes for a coffee and sit, all day, in the warm (some cafés had a rule that waiters shouldn’t wake a sleeping scribe) trade on their literary heritage and can charge a far steeper price for a simple café au lait and a croissant.
Café de Flore
This celebrated St-Germain haunt served as base for the first couple of existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, during the 1940s and ’50s. De Beauvoir would arrive at eight in the morning to claim a table next to the old stove, where she would sit to write. Now, thinker Bernard-Henri Lévy and Moroccan author Tahar Ben Jelloun come here.
172 Boulevard St-Germain, St-Germain-des-Prés, +33 (0)1 45 48 55 26, www.cafe-de-flore.com
Café de la Paix
Part of the Grand Hôtel (now InterContinental), this is the only surviving great café of the 19th century. It is both huge and hugely expensive, but, in its time, served writers Oscar Wilde, Paul Valéry and Emile Zola. As you bask in the opulent surroundings, you may want to contemplate the Opéra opposite, which was also built in 1872 and is supposed to be home to the legendary Phantom. 12 Boulevard des Capucines, Opéra, +33 (0)1 40 07 36 36
La Belle Hortense
Named after a 19th-century popular romance by Jacques Roubaud, this intimate bar littéraire in the trendy Marais has plenty of history – the high-ceilinged rooms hark back to the time of Balzac and Baudelaire. But it’s the bookstore at the back and frequent literary events, including signings, lectures and readings, that draw most regulars these days. 31 rue Vieille du Temple, Marais, +33 (0)1 48 04 71 60, www.cafeine.com
Closerie des Lilas
A Hemingway favourite, this noted restaurant opened in 1847. The macho writer was very upset when it went upmarket in 1925 and was especially incensed that one waiter was ordered to shave off his moustache. The Closerie earned its own chapter in Hemingway’s memoirs, A Moveable Feast – written 30 years later – and the author is commemorated by a brass plaque and a cocktail at the bar.
171 Boulevard du Montparnasse, Montparnasse, +33 (0)1 40 51 34 50
Les Deux Magots
To the right of Café de Flore, Les Deux Magots (named after its statues of Chinese traders) was also a hang-out for the existentialists and the American “Lost Generation”. French writers Rimbaud and Mallarmé met here and the café has, since 1933, awarded an annual literary prize. Expatriate Egyptian writer Albert Cossery is still an habitué in his mid-90s. 6 Place St-Germain-des-Prés, St-Germain-des-Prés +33 (0)1 45 48 55 25, www.lesdeuxmagots.com |
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