Julian Green was born to American parents in Paris in 1900, and spent most of his life there. Paris is a lyrical love letter to the city, taking the reader on a journey around its secret stairways, courtyards, alleys and hidden places.
Whether evoking the cool of a deserted church on a hot summer’s day, remembering Notre Dame in a winter storm in 1940, describing chestnut trees lit up at night like ‘Japanese lanterns’ or lamenting the passing of street cries and old buildings, Green’s book is filled with unforgettable imagery.
Loafing by the Seine
Sometimes, nostalgic for Paris, I read books about the city in the hope that through them I’ll know again the felt reality of daily life there. It never really works: books, after all, can only do...
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