David Downie has written a remarkable and unexpected tale of the 19th century Romantics of Paris. Deeply grounded in French literature, art and history, he shows readers the physical Paris that was inhabited by Victor Hugo, Balzac, George Sand, Baudelaire, Delacroix and others. Not only where they met, but what their neighborhoods were like, how far apart from one another they lived, and which streets they took to their assignations. Reading, it's possible to follow in their wake imaginatively or even to make your own Romantic map for the next time you are there.
Do this and you will time travel to a different Ile Saint Louis from the high-toned one you know. 150 years ago, Bohemia existed there, and can still be traced. Was the Marais always chic? No -- it was both Royal and Bohemian, and ruled by Victor Hugo, more famous than any writer would ever be again. The Montmartre of the Romantics was hilly, grassy, with pasturing goat herds and the freshest of fresh air. The windmills were utterly for real, and the artists' studios were vast, light and cheap.
If you have ever wondered how the great Romantics bodily inhabited Paris, how long it took them to walk from one haunt to another, and how
much of what they did and saw is available to you today, then read this book. Seeing their art and poetry in a new context that no one but
David Downie could provide, you will want a date to meet a like-minded friend under the bust of Chopin in the Luxembourg Gardens, and set off make their trail your own. If you could use an architectural disquisition on why Haussmann's Paris feels and looks all wrong, then there's one here that you can "dine out on for a year."
The bountiful illustrations from diverse sources are a delight -- as real and nostalgic as theater ticket stubs. Alison Harris makes a superb photographic contribution to this book. Almost best of all, reading the final pages, you will realize the answer to a question you may never even have posed -- how Romantic are you?
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Certainly a Passion for the imagination
Brilliant study of the great artists that give us modern day Paris. Well written, and different, it is more a memoir than a fiction novel, and is therefore personal and engaging as a story. My only restraint is to say that to get wrapped up in the story most people would prefer a familiarity with the "City of Light" and especially with the many, many renowned artists and writers referenced. Otherwise, this is a very interesting read and certainly enlightened me about the 'passions' I have over looked during my many visits.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2015
- Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2016
Brilliant study of the great artists that give us modern day Paris. Well written, and different, it is more a memoir than a fiction novel, and is therefore personal and engaging as a story. My only restraint is to say that to get wrapped up in the story most people would prefer a familiarity with the "City of Light" and especially with the many, many renowned artists and writers referenced. Otherwise, this is a very interesting read and certainly enlightened me about the 'passions' I have over looked during my many visits.
Certainly a Passion for the imagination
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2016
Images in this review
- Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2015
- Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2015
Top reviews from other countries
- sandiReviewed in Canada on May 26, 2015
I have been to Paris many times and was married ...
