Golden Moments Of Paris: A Guide To The Paris Of The 1920s

Description

Following the popular "Chronicles of Old Paris," in "The Golden Moments of Paris," John Baxter has uncovered more fascinating true stories about the characters that gave Paris its "character" in the years between World War I and World War II. Explore more about one of the world's most beautiful and loved cities in twenty-six fact-filled, humorous, and dramatic stories about the famed Annees Folles--the Crazy Years at the turn of the 20th century in Paris. Learn about Gertrude Stein and her famous writers' salon, Salvador Dali and the Surrealists, the birth of Chanel No. 5, and the antics of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the "lost generation." Then see what these areas look like today by following along on the guided walking tours of Paris's historic neighborhoods and the cafes, clubs, and brothels that were home to the intellectuals, artists, and Bohemians, illustrated with color photographs and period maps. If you enjoyed Woody Allen's film "Midnight in Paris," you'll love this book.

Reviews

Few locales and epochs sound more intriguing than Paris, France, in the sizzling 1920s. Baxter (We'll Always Have Paris: Sex and Love in the City of Light; The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris; Chronicles of Old Paris) crafted 25 compelling stories that evoke les annes folles, or "crazy years" when American expatriates flocked to the City of Light to partake in romance, recreational drugs, and gender-bending fashions, while rubbing elbows with luminaries from the art world. Larger-than-life and unconventional characters include author and art connoisseur Gertrude Stein, artist Pablo Picasso, ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky, photographer Man Ray, writers F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, jazz singer Ada "Bricktop" Smith, poet Ezra Pound, and many others. This richly illustrated and beautifully formatted work also includes four walking tours of the Seine Left Bank, the path of Ernest Hemingway from the Latin Quarter and beyond, Montparnasse, and Trocadero. Francophiles and libertines alike will savor this book as they explore Paris and walk in the footsteps of so many notable and talented individuals. The index and detailed table of contents assist with finding specific information. VERDICT For larger travel collections and readers who enjoy lesser-known details of a particular travel destination.--Elizabeth Connor, Daniel Lib., The Citadel, Military Coll. of South Carolina, CharlestonLibrary Journal Booksmack! LJXpress PrepubParis, especially the Paris between the two world wars, continues to resonate with many people around the globe. The city has had many golden ages but probably none as famous as the 1920s: the Paris of the Lost Generation. This is the Paris of Hemingway and the Fitzgeralds, of Gertrude Stein and so many others, when the City of Light was a veritable living museum of cultural activity: literature, music, art, dance. It was a time when surrealism and cubism flourished, when small presses flourished and when conversation flowed

Author description

John Baxter is an Australian-born writer, journalist, and filmmaker, who has called Paris home since 1989. He is the author of numerous books including the autobiographical "Immoveable Feast: A Paris Christmas," "We'll""Always Have Paris: Sex and Love in the City of Light, The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris," and "Chronicles of Old Paris."