Saint-Germain-des-Pres: Paris's Rebel Quarter

Great Parisian Neighborhoods #1

by John Baxter

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.

Genres: Travel, France, History, Nonfiction, Paris

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 8, 2016

About the author

John Baxter (born 1939 in Randwick, New South Wales) is an Australian-born writer, journalist, and film-maker.

Baxter has lived in Britain and the United States as well as in his native Sydney, but has made his home in Paris since 1989, where he is married to the film-maker Marie-Dominique Montel. They have one daughter, Louise.

He began writing science fiction in the early 1960s for New Worlds, Science Fantasy and other British magazines. His first novel, though serialised in New Worlds as THE GOD KILLERS, was published as a book in the US by Ace as The Off-Worlders. He was Visiting Professor at Hollins College in Virginia in 1975-1976. He has written a number of short stories and novels in that genre and a book about SF in the movies, as well as editing collections of Australian science fiction.

Baxter has also written a large number of other works dealing with the movies, including biographies of film personalities, including Federico Fellini, Luis Buñuel, Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Woody Allen, George Lucas and Robert De Niro. He has written a number of documentaries, including a survey of the life and work of the painter Fernando Botero. He also co-produced, wrote and presented three television series for the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Filmstruck, First Take and The Cutting Room, and was co-editor of the ABC book programme Books And Writing.

In the 1960s, he was a member of the WEA Film Study Group with such notable people as Ian Klava, Frank Moorhouse, Michael Thornhill, John Flaus and Ken Quinnell. From July 1965 to December 1967 the WEA Film Study Group published the cinema journal FILM DIGEST. This journal was edited by John Baxter.

For a number of years in the sixties, he was active in the Sydney Film Festival, and during the 1980s served in a consulting capacity on a number of film-funding bodies, as well as writing film criticism for The Australian and other periodicals. Some of his books have been translated into various languages, including Japanese and Chinese.

Since moving to Paris, he has written four books of autobiography, A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict, We'll Always Have Paris: Sex and Love in the City of Light, Immoveable feast : a Paris Christmas, and The Most Beautiful Walk in the World : a Pedestrian in Paris.

Since 2007 he has been co-director of the annual Paris Writers Workshop.

Reviews

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts soon.

[Kristy Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - Rounded up
John Baxter is an Australian who has lived in Paris for 30 years now. He's written books on food, the nightlife, and beautiful walks in Paris. He now has a goal of writing a short book for each of Paris's arrondissements, or neighborhoods. Last year he started with his neighborhood, Saint Germain. As well has being his home this quarter is full of history and culture, having been the residence of many of Paris's traveling and adopted artists and thinkers including Hemingway, Joyce, Sartre, and Picasso, among others. It is home to the famous Shakespeare & Co book store, and right next to Notre Dame.

The book is a little scattershot, as he will talk for one chapter on food or a cafe, and or a Parisian way of living, and then talk about how it developed thought the history of Paris. So each chapter involves many historical figures through out the timeline of Paris. But if you just let it roll over you, you get a great feel for the bohemian neighborhood. My favorite bit was when he talked about how the different artists and thinkers survived under the German occupation and after. He was more blunt than some other authors that I have read on the subject.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a book that makes you feel homesick for Saint-Germain, this is it. Having walked the 6th Arrondissement with the author earlier this year, I felt that I had returned there as I turned the pages. I was even taken aback when I turned to page 179 to see a photo of the author with a fromagier that was almost identical to one I had taken in June 2016 until I realised that this book was on its way to the shelves by then.

John Baxter takes the reader along familiar and not so familiar streets and laneways, pointing out places of interest which one might otherwise miss. Although I thought I knew Saint-Germain very well, having stayed there on four separate occasions, I discovered new and different sights that I can't wait to visit next time. With each turn of the page, the author reveals another fascinating delight waiting around the next corner of Saint-Germain-des-Pres.

My only criticism of this book is that there was not a more detailed and comprehensive - perhaps fold-out - map of the area. The simple map at the beginning is adequate as a legend for the points of interest cited in the book but doesn't really do justice to the text. Perhaps the author could consider a fold-out map in the other books proposed for this series.

As with his other books, John Baxter has a relaxed, familiar style that reflects his warm personality. I'm not sure whether one should read this book before or after visiting Saint-Germain. Perhaps both, and certainly in the context of one of his walking tours. Take along your copy and ask him to sign it - he would be chuffed!

[Andie · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Baxter, apparently finances his life in Paris by writing about the city and giving specialized walking tours of the same. This book on Saint-Germain-des-Pres was interesting because this is my favorite arrondissement in Paris.

And Baxter knows his stuff and is full of interesting stories of who lived here and who drank there. Is you love Paris like I do, you'll like this book

[Jean Cerfontaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely meander through Saint Germain, exploring the history, art and literati that called this corner of Paris home

[Bookish]

On the outside, this may appear to be a travel guide for a small section of Paris. Why would you want a book about one section of the city? Read this and you’ll understand. John Baxter brings Saint-Germain-des-Prés to life through his narrative of those who lived there in the past. He covers the seedy hotels and brothels, as well as the history of the arts, literature, politics, and architecture in the area. The book is so well written that you can picture the people Baxter describes sitting in a café or lounging in a salon. I have been to Paris many times, but I have never been so thoroughly engrossed by an area. I can’t wait to go back so I can explore Saint-Germain-des-Prés more thoroughly. —Barbara (https://www.bookish.com/articles/what...)

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read

I'm soon to visit Paris for the first time, more specifically, Saint-German and this book was just what I needed. It was a very fun read, full of information, specially for literary geeks like myself. And it gives you enough names and references to keep you researching for awhile. It left me excited and prepared to fully enjoy my surroundings.

[Helynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a bit of an overlap between John Baxter’s description of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and his book on nearby Montparnasse, mostly because of the regions’ close proximity to each other on Paris’s Left Bank and the fact that they attracted many of the same famous crowds of artists and intellectuals, particularly in the 1920s. But it took centuries to shape the peculiar ambiance that characterizes Saint-Germain—Héloïse and Abélard, Picasso, Rimbaud, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Inspector Maigret, “La Vie en Rose,” La Bohème, Gertrude Stein, Beauvoir, Sartre, existentialism, cafe society, the new wave of cinema. In short, Saint-Germain has an individual style and charm. And even though the Latin Quarter and the Sorbonne do not officially fall within Saint-Germain’s boundaries, Latin Quarter residents insist that “in spirit, at least, they deserve to belong.” When Emperor Napoléon III charged Georges-Eugène “Baron” Haussmann to modernize Paris in 1853-70, most of the widening of the streets and razing of old structures was completed on the Right Bank. “To modernize Saint-Germain would have been too destructive,” Baxter writes. Haussmann did create the east-west Boulevard Saint-Germain and the north-south Boulevard Saint-Michel; “otherwise, he left the quartier and its belligerent natives undisturbed” (13.) The Right Bank may claim all the elegant landmarks in the city while the Saint-Germain area features mostly pedestrian promenades, booksellers, and open-air markets. “Since 18th century, rebels, misfits, dissidents, pornographers and trouble makers had congregated here . . .remote from the eyes of authority” (13-14). The portraits of students and artists reveling in poverty and creativity in the quartier began with Henry Muger’s 1851 novel Scènes de la vie bohème, which, Baxter notes, “almost singled-handedly inspired the myth of bohemian Paris.” Ironically, Muger himself died penniless at age 38 in the manner of some of his characters. (Puccini’s opera, which popularized the original story, did not appear until 1896). The Saint-Germain of the early 20th century was no frills—crowded, no plumbing, etc.,—but the poor of the area slowly morphed into a new bourgeoisie. Today, real estate in the area is astronomically priced. Baxter provides an interesting background on the church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, which dates back to 6th century and was originally a walled abbey of Benedictine monks led by Abbey of Germain. The author also acquaints us with the famous Café de Flore “where the ghost of Jean-Paul Sartre drops by sometimes” (39). Today the cafe is more elite. “Paradoxically, it is in the branches of the ubiquitous Starbucks that the simpler tradition of impoverished writers working all day in a café survives closer to its original form” (39). More memories follow the centuries-old tradition of bookselling in the quartier including the establishment in the 1920s of Sylvia Beach’s Shakespeare and Co. Finally, Baxter reminds us that some of the most beautiful sites in Saint-Germain can be found underground due to recent efforts to beautify the Metro stations at Odéon and Cluny-La Sorbonne with statues and other forms of artwork. Jean Bazaine’s mosaic designs on the ceilings at Cluny-La Sorbonne are particularly beautiful.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gem of a book. The Left Bank of Paris has always fascinated me, as have the artistic inhabitants who made it famous. This wonderful tour guide not only takes you through the main highlights of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, but the narrator delves into the history of each building, plaza, hotel, and restaurant along the way. And the best part is he knows the real scoop—all the interesting gossipy details—of this marvelous section of Paris.

The text is accompanied by photographs and special sections that delve into the backstories of those who lived on the Left Bank and/or the “underground” history of a building and its many iterations and occupants.

I was given this book by another BookCrosser, so I just might leave it as a wild release at a resort in Sedona, Arizona, later this month (May). I want someone else to have a chance to enjoy this excellent little book. Anyone reading this who might want the book, just msg me and I'll pass it along.

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book about my favorite neighborhood in Paris. Reading, I remembered why I used to dream of moving to Paris when I was in junior high school~~~ ah, the life of the literary expat. And the bookshops and galleries. Slow food and parties. Baxter, an Australian who has lived in the Saint-Germain-des-Pres neighborhood for thirty years, leads literary walking tours.. of his neighborhood. I'd like to go on one someday soon, as he is quite a wonderful storyteller. I wonder if there is some neighborhood somewhere in the world where nowadays artists and writers converge? Sad to imagine there is no place left to live a different life... This very chatty and short book is a nice one to throw in your suitcase. Was happy he included Mariage Frere teashop and talked about tea.

[Fraser Kinnear · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this for a Paris trip at the end of the year. Nice, brief history of a neighborhood we're staying in, which helped start a map of what I want to visit. That aside, some nice references, including Auden's poem Musee des Beaux Arts, an old Orson Wells documentary series that profiled the neighborhood (youtube link), and loads of references to Camus, Sartre, and other 20th century artists.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book about the history of Saint Germain des Pres. It is a joy to read this book! Being a history buff and an armchair traveler, it was fascinating to learn about so many different aspects of this particular quarter of Paris. I do not wish to reveal too much about this book, but I highly recommend to read this, if you are a Francophile.

[Chain Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the armchair traveller, this is a great reading experience, and it would ideal to read to prepare for a trip. It's not a guidebook, but an orientation to the history and mood of this Parisian neighbourhood, written as a series of short vignettes about historical episodes or places, some now gone and some still in existence. The photos and art design add to the experience.

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Baxter has a way of writing that draws you in and keeps you interested. I picked this book because I am very familiar with this area of Paris. The book did not disappoint in that it gave detailed history as to how Saint Germain des Prés became what it is today.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part travel guide, part history book, entirely my kind of thing. Baxter's day job is giving tours of Paris, and I can tell from this he must be very good at his job. It's deeply interesting both because of the presentation and the information given.

[Muireann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chatty anecdotes about a fascinating neighbourhood.
Why a book by an Australian who has lived in Paris his whole adult life is narrated by an American who cannot pronounce any French words correctly is beyond me though.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a series by the author about Paris neighborhoods. John Baxter includes his usual interesting anecdotes about history, literature and art that relate to the area where he lives.

[Lou Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Sal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me miss Paris even more... but it also gave me ideas for next time

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I use the term "anecdotal" too often but I can't find another word that fits. It's rather like if a guidebook periodically inserted stories of locals into the book.

[AlexInWonderland · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Filled with interesting bits & pieces about my favorite quartier
- anecdotal
- well rounded

[Marg · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

Interesting little anecdotes about a particular area of Paris. Hopefully we will get to visit the area...if we still go.

[Richard Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining account of this quarter, by an expert.

[LRKK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much more than the glib travelogue the gaudy cover suggests, this is a wise, learned, deeply felt and well-written celebration of a street, an area, a city, and a spirit.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The background and history of this once-disreputable neighborhood in Paris.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and amusing anecdotes with a personal perspective from Baxter, who has lived in Paris for many years. Flagged a bit at the end, though.

[PLEsch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe better for readers familiar with the landscape.

[Dan Zukowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Baxter knows whereof he walks. The Australian-born author, screenwriter and journalist has spent the past three decades living in Paris, much of it walking in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein and their compatriots. At 80, he still gives walking tours to the literary landmarks that dot the districts of the Left Bank.

By my count, Baxter has written eight books that serve as guides to the Paris of arts and letters, and at least two on the city’s history. I have, to date, consumed three of them, “Hemingway’s Paris: A User’s Guide,” “Montparnasse: Paris's District of Memory and Desire” and “Saint-Germain-des-Pres: Paris’s Rebel Quarter.”

I came to Baxter’s books by way of my own meanderings through the 5th, 6th and 7th arrondissements, my conversations about Hemingway with a fellow writer and friend, and the English-lit major in me that won’t go away.

I had only recently read “A Moveable Feast,” the posthumously-published memoir of Hemingway’s life in Paris in the 1920s, when I realized on an early-October morning that I was sitting at a cafe barely 100 feet from the author’s first Paris apartment. Baxter describes it as a “a two-room cold-water walk-up in a building of Dickensian bleakness” in what was then a squalid area populated by drunks and the homeless.

After just a couple of years, Hemingway and his wife, Hadley, would relocate to Montparnasse and Saint-Germain, areas that drew American ex-patriates including Fitzgerald, Henry Miller, Ezra Pound and Hart Crane. The rattan-chair cafes were their crossroads: the Cafe du Dome, La Rotonde, La Coupole and Le Select provided impromptu meetings, places to write, eat and consume much drink.

Baxter takes us also to Shakespeare & Company (not the one tourists take selfies in front of now, but the original bookshop on rue de l'Odéon), where proprietor Sylvia Beach nurtured the literati. And, in Baxter’s pages, we meet Gertrude Stein, the doyen of the inter-war Paris art scene, who took Hemingway under her influential wing.

The streets of Paris are haunted by the ghosts of writers past. Read any of these books by John Baxter to walk in their footsteps, whether truly on Parisian boulevards or kilometers away on a comfy couch.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely visit

Delightful stroll through Saint Germain des Pres both in the present day and the past. Tidbits of history mingled with gossip make the antidotes stand out. The author who actually lives in the area gives a view into both French character and the Bohemians, artists and revolutionaries who formerly inhabited this left over slice from the Middle Ages. Very enjoyable, informative and the author gives you a very personal tour.

[Susan White-Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read of my favorite arrondismont in Paris. Gives a good history and new ideas for place to visit and re-visit

Re-reading this for the second time, still interests me, I like his style of writing