Modern Parisian Picks
Following our pick of Parisian classics, a list that was a small fraction of a much larger bookshelf, we decided to continue the focus on the city by choosing a few more (relatively) recent books that feature or focus on the city and have stolen our hearts. Without further ado, below are our picks.
Monsieur Pain- Roberto Bolano, 1984
This short and lesser known novel by Bolano begins with the Peruvian poet César Vallejo in hospital, afflicted with an undiagnosed illness, unable to stop hiccuping. His wife calls on an acquaintance: mesmerist Pierre Pain. Two mysterious Spanish men follow Pain and bribe him to not treat Vallejo. The story follows Monsieur Pain, haunted and guilty, wandering the crepuscular, rainy streets of Paris in the 1930s, and showcases Bolano’s masterful, hallucinatory style.
How I Became Stupid- Martin Page, 2000
A philosophical French novel, this tale follows a twenty-five-year old Aramaic scholar, Antoine, who’s done with being brilliant and deeply self-aware in today’s culture. So tortured by the depth of his perception and understanding of himself, that he vows to denounce his intelligence by any means necessary, in order to become stupid enough to be a happy, functioning member of society. This dark, funny odyssey follows Antoine as he tries everything from alcoholism to stock-trading in order to lighten the burden of his brain.
The Flaneur- Edmund White, 2001
A flaneur is a stroller, a loiterer, who ambles without apparent purpose but is attuned to the history of the street, and this concept has become increasingly prominent since the age of Baudelaire. Acclaimed writer Edmund White, who lived in Paris for sixteen years, wandered through the avenues and along the quays, into parts of the city virtually unknown to visitors and indeed many locals, for a fascinating and seductive meditation into the backstreets of his version of Paris.
The Bad Girl - Mario Vargas Llosa, 2006
Originally published in 2006 in Spanish, this novel by Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa, this book is often regarded as a rewrite of Flabuert’s classic Madame Bovary. In Vargas Llosa’s version, the plot relates the decades-long obsession of its narrator, a Peruvian expatriate, with a woman with whom he first fell in love with when they were teenagers. The plot unfolds over various cities– from Lima to London to Tokyo and Paris, which features prominently.
The Years- Annie Ernaux, 2008
Annie Ernaux’s magnum opus spans the timeframe from the author's birth in 1940 up to 2006, and moves from her working class upbringing in Normandy to her years teaching French literature, living in the Parisian suburb of Cergy, raising two sons and eventually divorcing. It’s hardly a straightforward biography; rather, it is told in a choral “we” which often shifts into third person. By doing this, Ernaux puts to rest the idea that women’s memoirs are inherently about the domestic, and it’s powerfully affecting.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog- Muriel Barbery, 2008
This novel is an exploration of life behind the façades of a grand Parisian apartment building in the very respectable 7th arrondissement, an insight into the secrets of the building's concierge and its residents, told from his perspective. The concierge’s deliberately concealed intelligence is uncovered by an unstable but intellectually precocious girl named Paloma, and a tale that seems simple and warm explores art, class and various aspects of Parisian society.
Lullaby- Leila Slimani, 2016
The first woman of Moroccan descent to win the Prix Goncourt for this novel, Lullaby is a deft, agonising and incisive tale into Parisian society. Initially titled The Perfect Nanny, it is an entrancing literary psychological drama that goes into dark places with perfect simplicity, exploring the relationship between a rich couple and their nanny, while also shining a light on various fault lines in Parisian society.
Disturbance- Phillippe Lancon, 2019
In January 2015, two terrorists claiming ISIS allegiance attacked the Paris office of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Lancon, a writer there who was severely injured, recounts surviving the deadly attack. But Disturbance is far deeper than just recounting these events - it’s a book about survival, resilience, reconstruction, transformation, and one man's shifting relationship to time and perspective on the world. The book is remarkably free of anger; instead an argument in favour of the intellectual life, of ideas as beautiful abstractions, and the power of satire over terror.