Literary Cafés of Paris

by Noël Riley Fitch

A historical look at the literary places and people of Paris.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Noël Riley Fitch is a biographer and historian of expatriate intellectuals in Paris in the first half of the 20th century. Every book Fitch has written has some connection with Paris and the artists who lived and worked there, including her biographies of Sylvia Beach, Anaïs Nin, and Julia Child.

In June 2011 Noël was awarded the prestigious Prix de la Tour Montparnasse literary award in France for the French translation of hers widely acclaimed 1983 book ‘Sylvia Beach and the Lost Generation’. Her book Appetite for Life The Biography of Julia Child was written with Mrs. Child’s full cooperation and exclusive authorization. Publishers Weekly said the book is written 'warmly and compellingly’, and Kirkus Reviews called its details “exquisite” and the story “exhaustively researched, and charming.” Entertainment Weekly also named it number five of the ten best books of the year.

Noël recently retired from teaching writing and literature courses for the University of Southern California and the American University in Paris. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles, Paris, and New York City.

Reviews

[Amy Tupper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book when I read it over 15 years ago.

I had the opportunity to take a summer course from Noel Riley Fitch and she is one of the most knowledgable people about this period of history in Paris and the artists who lived and created there.

The walks are great. They allowed me to get a sense of the city and how the locations tie together to form neighborhoods, even all these years later.

I highly recommend it to anyone interested in seeing where Hemingway drank, Stein kept her salon, and Joyce sold his books.

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and eminently useful guide to the Montparnasse haunts that modernists frequented in the 20s. Of course, it'd be highly ethnocentric to only focus on American expatriates like Hemingway, etc., so the book is more international in scope. Designed to fit in your back pocket as you swing from the Dome down to the Closerie des Lilas.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a little dated (the author sometimes refers to food & drink prices and they are all given in francs!) but this slender volume gives a nice summary of the literary/artistic history of cafes in various Paris neighborhoods.

[Mary Hart Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little gem of a book. Fascinating details of Parisian life and the artists and writers who worked and played here.

[John’aLee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good little read. Makes me want to go to Paris and check out all of these cafes.