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THE RAG AND BONE SHOP OF THE HEART
The Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore
by Lisa Sanderson
No visit to Paris is complete without a trip
to Shakespeare & Co. This rambling bookshop with its romantic
associations with the Lost Generation and the Beatniks provides a haven
for book-lovers and writers.
The three floors are filled with books of
all kinds, including First Editions and novels signed by their
authors. The creaking wooden floors, low ceilings, steep
staircases and uncomfortable couches along with a black cat that
sometimes appears out of nowhere all add to the esoteric character of
this popular tourist attraction. The building used to be a
monastery, an appropriate background for a bookstore that promotes the
love of learning.
Begun by George Whitman after the Second
World War as a way to sell his huge collection of books and stay in
Paris, it was originally one room. George, a Communist, had
difficulty making money at first. Eventually, however, he was
able to purchase the apartment above the stairs and the art gallery
next door to contain his ever-growing book collection. Now
Shakespeare & Co, so well-loved by expatriates and readers, is
worth millions.
The store was originally called the Mistral
bookshop. However, George Whitman wanted to follow in the
tradition of the famous American, Sylvia Beach, who owned the original
Shakespeare & Co. Forced to close by the Nazis during the
war, she granted him permission to use the name.
Attracted to Paris not only because it was
so supremely civilized and cosmopolitan but also because it was so
inexpensive, the Lost Generation used to congregate at the original
bookstore. F.Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and other
struggling writers found a good friend in Sylvia Beach who supported
them, helped them, and even let them stay in her bookshop if they were
very down on their luck. She agreed to publish Joyce's' great
classic Ulysses which was widely regarded as pornography then and
promptly banned in most countries, including the U.S.A. Ernest
Hemingway and a friend agreed to smuggle Ulysses into the States taking
copies over the Canadian border hidden in their trouser legs.
George Whitman followed in Sylvia Beach's
path supporting the Beat Generation, such as the famous poet Alan
Ginsberg and the writers, Wright and Baldwin, who would give readings
in the store. Paris was still cheap, and shocked by the racist
attitudes of many Americans, black writers such as Wright and Baldwin
were pleased to find refuge and people interested in their writing.
On one of the walls of the bookshop
visitors can find the inscription: “Be not inhospitable to
strangers, lest they be angels in disguise.” George Whitman
has followed this advice which provides the motto of Shakespeare &
Co. There are rackety old beds on the upstairs floors which are open to
backpackers and writers, known as the Tumbleweeds. The only
conditions for staying here are that they help out in the bookstore and
read a book a day.
George, following in the footsteps of the
monks who used to live here, sees himself as a lamplighter lighting the
way for students and writers. He is in his eighties now, so one
hopes that Sylvia, his daughter, named after Sylvia Beach, will
continue to carry on such a great tradition.
Useful Information
Shakespeare & Co
37, rue de la Bûcherie
Tel: +33 143269650
Email:
Virtual tour: http://www.spherivue.com/a8.html
Lisa Sanderson is a talented contributor to
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