Wednesday, December 14, 2011

George Whitman and Shakespeare & Co.

From the NYTimes:

PARIS — George Whitman, the American-born owner of Shakespeare & Company, a fabled English-language bookstore on the Left Bank in Paris and a magnet for writers, poets and tourists for close to 60 years, died on Wednesday in his apartment above the store. He was 98. Read more here.



I had the good fortune, in the summer of 1979, to sub-let a Paris apartment with a college friend. When we weren't idling away long afternoons-into-evenings lingering over a single glass of Côtes du Rhône (very limited budget!) we could often be found at Shakespeare & Co., amid the musty books shelved, stacked and piled floor to rafters. It was a maze and all quite amazing, and we felt like a part of some secret society, like characters from a page of French history. Once George Whitman, who I remember as somewhat cantankerous, gave me a vintage Parisian address book, circa 1900, with marbled end-papers and written in elaborate fountain-pen script. (I still have it -- when I dig it up I'll post a photo.)

What I've seen of this film is marvelous (I admit I've jumped around in it) -- but I'd venture to say that it's worth all 52 minutes if you are even remotely interested in Paris, literature, or quirky characters.

4 comments:

  1. I've actually been in this shop, but not sure if I remember it being owned by an American. Maybe I spoke to no-one. I wonder if it'll now close?

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  2. I've been there, too, and am sad to hear of this wonderful man's death. Thank you for posting about it as I seem to have missed the news. Now I'm off to watch the video.

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  3. Wow. Just watched the whole film. That last scene was wild. Thank you for posting this --

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  4. Thanks, T. There is no place like it in the world, and no one like its cantankerous late proprietor--your post and the video bring back lovely memories. xo

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