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Aspects of Paris
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1968
About the author
Peter de Polnay
108 books1 followerHungarian-born novelist, biographer, and travel-writer who eventually settled in England and finally France.
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March 3, 2021
It’s strange to come across a book with no reviews or ratings on Goodreads. I found Polnoy’s Aspects of Paris tucked away in a quiet corner bookshelf, and decided to give it a whirl based on the quirky synopsis and my love for the city of lights.
Thanks to an impressive bibliography, I thought Peter did a remarkable job diving head first into the rougher, dirtier, and markedly more criminal side of Parisian history. The book is structured in chapters corresponding to certain arrondissements (either present or to come) with tales of horrifying proportions, leading you to scratch your head towards the charm Paris exudes now. I thoroughly enjoyed the scattering of wit and humour mixed into the text, which more often than not, lightened the recounts of murder and mayhem.
Without thorough knowledge of the French language and history, I did feel a little lost at times, but not so much to quit. I think an important part of my enjoyment towards the history, however gruesome, was that it gave me a completely new perspective of the ‘human’ versus ‘environment’ parts of the city. I feel there is still so much to uncover, which perhaps was Polnay’s intention. Fingers crossed there will be an opportunity in the future to visit once more with a copy of this book in hand, causing a reflection of the ‘what was’ of Paris and all its not-so-charming secrets.
Thanks to an impressive bibliography, I thought Peter did a remarkable job diving head first into the rougher, dirtier, and markedly more criminal side of Parisian history. The book is structured in chapters corresponding to certain arrondissements (either present or to come) with tales of horrifying proportions, leading you to scratch your head towards the charm Paris exudes now. I thoroughly enjoyed the scattering of wit and humour mixed into the text, which more often than not, lightened the recounts of murder and mayhem.
Without thorough knowledge of the French language and history, I did feel a little lost at times, but not so much to quit. I think an important part of my enjoyment towards the history, however gruesome, was that it gave me a completely new perspective of the ‘human’ versus ‘environment’ parts of the city. I feel there is still so much to uncover, which perhaps was Polnay’s intention. Fingers crossed there will be an opportunity in the future to visit once more with a copy of this book in hand, causing a reflection of the ‘what was’ of Paris and all its not-so-charming secrets.
Displaying 1 of 1 review