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Paris
Paris
Paperback
Published June 26, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 30, 2024
a love letter to paris with the most beautiful prose😭 melancholy and nostalgia
“what soothing melancholy is poured into the stroller's heart by the flights of stone steps inviting him down to the banks of the Seine to loaf there, lost in contemplation of its dark waters!
-
As he climbs back up the steps, it is with the feeling that he has laid in a store of memories and is richer by a fresh sadness.”
“what soothing melancholy is poured into the stroller's heart by the flights of stone steps inviting him down to the banks of the Seine to loaf there, lost in contemplation of its dark waters!
-
As he climbs back up the steps, it is with the feeling that he has laid in a store of memories and is richer by a fresh sadness.”
September 6, 2025
On the opening pages Green describes his book on Paris as one where “you find none of the things you are looking for but many that you were not looking for.” Monuments or “architectural glories” are, he promises, to be avoided.
This is not the case…
He goes on to write about these very glories, a chapter is consecrated to Notre Dame despite earlier promising that he will “remain silent; for me, Notre Dame is simply Notre Dame,full stop.”
There is clearly some fetishisation of the flaneur going on and a hefty dose of self-importance stemming from being born a Parisian native and not an outsider. Perhaps inference of Benjamin’s ‘Return of the Flaneur’ 1929.
Sadly this work is too predictable in its thematic pretence. I was expecting a much more creative and original text on Paris…
This is not the case…
He goes on to write about these very glories, a chapter is consecrated to Notre Dame despite earlier promising that he will “remain silent; for me, Notre Dame is simply Notre Dame,full stop.”
There is clearly some fetishisation of the flaneur going on and a hefty dose of self-importance stemming from being born a Parisian native and not an outsider. Perhaps inference of Benjamin’s ‘Return of the Flaneur’ 1929.
Sadly this work is too predictable in its thematic pretence. I was expecting a much more creative and original text on Paris…
January 6, 2026
"Even after each of the trips that have taken me almost everywhere I wished to go, I have returned to my native city to feel the same rush of wonder every time."
Julian Green's "Paris" takes you on a stroll around Paris, which exists only in his memories and his writing. It is the kind of book I am always on the lookout for whenever I travel to a new town or city, but the first of that kind that I have actually managed to get a hold of (hopefully, not the last!). I crave these books for them to give me a certain perspective and a guide for how to approach and encounter the city, and it helps when it is written by someone who is so enamoured by the city he writes about. "There is something to which words can only allude," and Green has a particular talent for capturing an extraordinary essence of Paris through his descriptions of the mundane.
It is also a book about war, and I do not think that I would have enjoyed it as much as I did had I not known the war in my own home city, which I, too, loved dearly. Having spent WWII years away from Paris, where he grew up, he writes about his city with the yearning and fondness that you can have for a home from a great distance. It is also anxious; when he eventually returns, Green does not seem to be able to shake off his discontent about the changes that Parisians themselves subject their city to, and the fear of destruction, if war were ever to return. At some points, the reader might get tired of this agonising on the pages, yet in the final chapter, "Invetory of the future", he finds peace and finally lets go of the desire to halt the change. I want to extend grace to the author for his way of processing the loss of home. There is a particular Lviv that exists in my memories, and the one that has probably never again existed. Whenever I return, I am shocked to see how much it has changed, how different the reality is from a very real Lviv that occupies my mind. It has been a while since I have been back, and I do not know when I will return, but I await this homecoming fondly someday.
Reading the book, I was also reminded of L'Orangerie I visited in Paris this past summer. Green's vision of Paris reminds me of Monet's intended idea of what L'Orangerie for his Nymphéas was meant to be: a place of refuge, where society can come, put its worries to rest, and find tranquility in the peaceful waters of the lilies. But the war has changed that society, and rearranged the very fabric of its soul. When L'Orangerie was completed, people did not demand Monet's Lilies. Green's Paris faded. Traumatised by the war, society does not perceive or appreciate beauty. In fact, finds it hypocritical and cruel, the contrast so staggering to the ugly brutality of the war, so it rejects it. It seems perverse and out of touch to acknowledge, to seek out, to create beauty in a grotesque world.
But, to choose to see it, to get yourself to experience joy, to seek out pleasure in the world that makes it seem morally impermissible in these grim circumstances - THAT is radical. That is what one must do.
Julian Green's "Paris" takes you on a stroll around Paris, which exists only in his memories and his writing. It is the kind of book I am always on the lookout for whenever I travel to a new town or city, but the first of that kind that I have actually managed to get a hold of (hopefully, not the last!). I crave these books for them to give me a certain perspective and a guide for how to approach and encounter the city, and it helps when it is written by someone who is so enamoured by the city he writes about. "There is something to which words can only allude," and Green has a particular talent for capturing an extraordinary essence of Paris through his descriptions of the mundane.
It is also a book about war, and I do not think that I would have enjoyed it as much as I did had I not known the war in my own home city, which I, too, loved dearly. Having spent WWII years away from Paris, where he grew up, he writes about his city with the yearning and fondness that you can have for a home from a great distance. It is also anxious; when he eventually returns, Green does not seem to be able to shake off his discontent about the changes that Parisians themselves subject their city to, and the fear of destruction, if war were ever to return. At some points, the reader might get tired of this agonising on the pages, yet in the final chapter, "Invetory of the future", he finds peace and finally lets go of the desire to halt the change. I want to extend grace to the author for his way of processing the loss of home. There is a particular Lviv that exists in my memories, and the one that has probably never again existed. Whenever I return, I am shocked to see how much it has changed, how different the reality is from a very real Lviv that occupies my mind. It has been a while since I have been back, and I do not know when I will return, but I await this homecoming fondly someday.
Reading the book, I was also reminded of L'Orangerie I visited in Paris this past summer. Green's vision of Paris reminds me of Monet's intended idea of what L'Orangerie for his Nymphéas was meant to be: a place of refuge, where society can come, put its worries to rest, and find tranquility in the peaceful waters of the lilies. But the war has changed that society, and rearranged the very fabric of its soul. When L'Orangerie was completed, people did not demand Monet's Lilies. Green's Paris faded. Traumatised by the war, society does not perceive or appreciate beauty. In fact, finds it hypocritical and cruel, the contrast so staggering to the ugly brutality of the war, so it rejects it. It seems perverse and out of touch to acknowledge, to seek out, to create beauty in a grotesque world.
But, to choose to see it, to get yourself to experience joy, to seek out pleasure in the world that makes it seem morally impermissible in these grim circumstances - THAT is radical. That is what one must do.
March 22, 2026
Loved how beautifully bilingual it is, and the English translation also reads mesmerizingly melodic, possibly because it's also by the author himself.
Each chapter takes the readers on a stroll to some of the rather lesser known corners and alleys of Paris, prior to the war, that the author remembers from his memory, and how he views them in his imagination at present. There's a deep sense of longing, nostalgia, and love for things that are otherwise mundane and unnoticeable.
Loved how in Green's recollection of his childhood city, places become people, and the memories of some people get enmeshed with the memories of some places. And in this beautiful blurring of boundaries enters passion, pain, and poetry, of memories personal and collective all at once.
But even in his specific descriptions about the many unknown aspects of Paris, something very universal stands out to the readers. Even the person who has never visited Paris will find in this book passages that'll take him to his own hometown, his childhood playground, or his teenage refuge. The way Green talks about his attachment to certain places in Paris is something that many of us can relate to in terms of our own memories of the places we grew up in but had to leave behind for one reason or another, rarely having a second chance to go back to.
Each chapter takes the readers on a stroll to some of the rather lesser known corners and alleys of Paris, prior to the war, that the author remembers from his memory, and how he views them in his imagination at present. There's a deep sense of longing, nostalgia, and love for things that are otherwise mundane and unnoticeable.
Loved how in Green's recollection of his childhood city, places become people, and the memories of some people get enmeshed with the memories of some places. And in this beautiful blurring of boundaries enters passion, pain, and poetry, of memories personal and collective all at once.
But even in his specific descriptions about the many unknown aspects of Paris, something very universal stands out to the readers. Even the person who has never visited Paris will find in this book passages that'll take him to his own hometown, his childhood playground, or his teenage refuge. The way Green talks about his attachment to certain places in Paris is something that many of us can relate to in terms of our own memories of the places we grew up in but had to leave behind for one reason or another, rarely having a second chance to go back to.
September 17, 2025
A poet writing prose. I read this during a visit to Paris. I clung on to the words, but my experience only connected to the thinnest end of the wedge. Still, those few moments of almost shared understanding were such a delight that I embraced all that was foreign to me too. Lots of gorgeous classical references - no one writes like this anymore.
January 5, 2026
It truly is a love letter to Paris.
What I loved was that one page was in French and the other in English, it made the read feel more quick and exciting too. I really enjoyed his descriptions of Paris and the way it made him feel.
One day I will visit Paris again (properly)
What I loved was that one page was in French and the other in English, it made the read feel more quick and exciting too. I really enjoyed his descriptions of Paris and the way it made him feel.
One day I will visit Paris again (properly)
November 23, 2024
Beau, mais, vue qu’il m’a fallu quatre mois pour finir un petit livre de 120 pages, je m’ennuyais.
[P Schofield]
[P Schofield]
November 2, 2025
A touching description of Paris through the eyes of a local. The author beautifully describes his favourite places in Paris. As someone not very familiar with Paris street names/locations, I feel a could have benefited from having a map handy.
September 25, 2024
Short and comfortable. Gives with it a nostalgic understanding of a home changing when you're gone
January 6, 2026
PARIGI
julien green
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
mi è piaciuto molto leggere questo libro, nonostante la scrittura non si possa definire molto scorrevole.
mi piace molto il fatto che praticamente l’autore neanche menziona i monumenti più famosi come la torre effeil o l’arco di trionfo, nonostante ci si aspetti pagine dedicate solamente a loro, e invece da piu spazio ai piccoli vicoli, stradine e edifici di cui neanche sapevo l’esistenza.
devo dire comunque che mi sono sentita “esclusa” leggendo il libro, diciamo estranea, come se io non potessi capire tutto ciò che c’era scritto, e che solo una vera parigina avrebbe potuto comprenderlo.
nonostante mi sia piaciuto però devi dire che non ho apprezzato il fatto che molto spesso quando l’autore stava parlando di qualcosa, nella riga successiva cambiava radicalmente argomento, sopratutto verso la fine del libro, e per questo motivo sono stata molto indecisa se dare al libro 4 stelle o 3emezzo
in sintesi mi è piaciuto molto sopratutto il capitolo in cui parlava dell’esistenza di una parigi segreta a cui i turisti non riescono ad accedere, nonostante la stessero sfiorando, perchè troppo concentrati a visitare grandi musei ed edifici famosi.
un altro capitolo che mi è piaciuto molto è stato “il viaggiatore” dove l’autore spiegava come il viaggiatore cercasse di raccontare il suo viaggio ai suoi amici e ai suoi cari, ma anche sforzandosi non ci riusciva, e le parole no bastavano mai, così chi ascoltava finiva per chiedersi se veramente lui fosse partito
julien green
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
mi è piaciuto molto leggere questo libro, nonostante la scrittura non si possa definire molto scorrevole.
mi piace molto il fatto che praticamente l’autore neanche menziona i monumenti più famosi come la torre effeil o l’arco di trionfo, nonostante ci si aspetti pagine dedicate solamente a loro, e invece da piu spazio ai piccoli vicoli, stradine e edifici di cui neanche sapevo l’esistenza.
devo dire comunque che mi sono sentita “esclusa” leggendo il libro, diciamo estranea, come se io non potessi capire tutto ciò che c’era scritto, e che solo una vera parigina avrebbe potuto comprenderlo.
nonostante mi sia piaciuto però devi dire che non ho apprezzato il fatto che molto spesso quando l’autore stava parlando di qualcosa, nella riga successiva cambiava radicalmente argomento, sopratutto verso la fine del libro, e per questo motivo sono stata molto indecisa se dare al libro 4 stelle o 3emezzo
in sintesi mi è piaciuto molto sopratutto il capitolo in cui parlava dell’esistenza di una parigi segreta a cui i turisti non riescono ad accedere, nonostante la stessero sfiorando, perchè troppo concentrati a visitare grandi musei ed edifici famosi.
un altro capitolo che mi è piaciuto molto è stato “il viaggiatore” dove l’autore spiegava come il viaggiatore cercasse di raccontare il suo viaggio ai suoi amici e ai suoi cari, ma anche sforzandosi non ci riusciva, e le parole no bastavano mai, così chi ascoltava finiva per chiedersi se veramente lui fosse partito
April 3, 2026
An original beautifully written love letter to the City of Light where he was born. Some of the language or analogies went way over my head, but this does not detract from the overall impact of the book and its message.
It is an extremely well written high brow guide to a Paris the casual visitor or tourist is unlikely to see or feel. Forget it if you are looking for wistful reflections on the Arc de Triomphe or the Eiffel Tower -- he would be far from banging the drum for them nor indeed the Pompidou Centre who he dismisses with sublime disdain.
"The foreigner driving through Paris from one museum to another is quite oblivious to the presence of a world he brushes past without seeing. Until you have wasted time in a city, you cannot pretend to know it well," he writes.
Well he certainly had time to waste, but it was very well spent and he has a splendid turn of phrase.
"The Rue Franklin is a crippled old lady hobbling down to meet the Rue de Passy."
It is not a hagiography by any means, he is scathing about parts of Paris he believes have taken a turn for the worse. However, he is no conservative dinosaur either, he looks to the future and how the city might develop.
"I have always been proud of Paris because it is the city where I was born," writes Green.
He has done his city proud.
It is an extremely well written high brow guide to a Paris the casual visitor or tourist is unlikely to see or feel. Forget it if you are looking for wistful reflections on the Arc de Triomphe or the Eiffel Tower -- he would be far from banging the drum for them nor indeed the Pompidou Centre who he dismisses with sublime disdain.
"The foreigner driving through Paris from one museum to another is quite oblivious to the presence of a world he brushes past without seeing. Until you have wasted time in a city, you cannot pretend to know it well," he writes.
Well he certainly had time to waste, but it was very well spent and he has a splendid turn of phrase.
"The Rue Franklin is a crippled old lady hobbling down to meet the Rue de Passy."
It is not a hagiography by any means, he is scathing about parts of Paris he believes have taken a turn for the worse. However, he is no conservative dinosaur either, he looks to the future and how the city might develop.
"I have always been proud of Paris because it is the city where I was born," writes Green.
He has done his city proud.
November 15, 2023
One of the great love letters to Paris, written by an American who was born there, bred there and died there, who spoke in French, wrote in French, breathed and dreamed in French, who even became the very first non-French to be elected to the Academie Francaise ffs - but who for some reason steadfastly refused to give up his American citizenship! Therein hangs a tale and a half...
Reading this book is like reading Simenon - it is episodic, it is impressionistic, it is eloquent as all get out, and it is imbued to the very dots and commas on the page with the "spirit" of Paris, that elusive thing which can only be felt, can only be lived in real time if you are ever so privileged, but which is as hard to define as, say, the smell of a lover's skin. Maybe it is so with all great cities...
At any rate, the effect that a book like this has on me is first to arouse fierce envy and then to provoke a quiet determination... some day... some day for sure...
Over-written in parts, but a gorgeous text nonetheless.
Reading this book is like reading Simenon - it is episodic, it is impressionistic, it is eloquent as all get out, and it is imbued to the very dots and commas on the page with the "spirit" of Paris, that elusive thing which can only be felt, can only be lived in real time if you are ever so privileged, but which is as hard to define as, say, the smell of a lover's skin. Maybe it is so with all great cities...
At any rate, the effect that a book like this has on me is first to arouse fierce envy and then to provoke a quiet determination... some day... some day for sure...
Over-written in parts, but a gorgeous text nonetheless.
January 14, 2025
Exactly the reflections on Paris that I would expect from an old man from the 16th, a man bold enough to suggest- and publish!- that Hugo would appreciate his musings. Felt like reading a 60-page script to an instagram video mocking how out of touch the riverains are. But in a fun way!
That said, I did genuinely enjoy some of the reflections on missing a place that no longer truly exists and the prose is delicious….if only Green weren’t every old man stumbling around Luxembourg and yapping about the changing winds of Paris.
That said, I did genuinely enjoy some of the reflections on missing a place that no longer truly exists and the prose is delicious….if only Green weren’t every old man stumbling around Luxembourg and yapping about the changing winds of Paris.
May 9, 2026
Brilliant prose, bit too much yapping about how his city was changing in front of his eyes (god forbid this thing called time exists) but was a good love letter to Paris and a greater primer before visiting.
“Paris, as I have said, is loath to surrender itself to people who are in a hurry, it belongs to the dreamers, to those capable of amusing themselves in its streets without regard to time when urgent business requires their presence elsewhere; consequently their reward is to see what others will never see.”
“Paris, as I have said, is loath to surrender itself to people who are in a hurry, it belongs to the dreamers, to those capable of amusing themselves in its streets without regard to time when urgent business requires their presence elsewhere; consequently their reward is to see what others will never see.”
January 8, 2025
I love Paris and I love how he saw Paris!!
"The housefronts were spattered with light from top to bottom. I mean to say, it was as if the sun had flung a great bucket of light over those old dwellings, leaving them dripping with it. It was magnificent, and at the same time you could not look at it without experiencing a vague sadness, the sadness bestowed by the sun"
"The housefronts were spattered with light from top to bottom. I mean to say, it was as if the sun had flung a great bucket of light over those old dwellings, leaving them dripping with it. It was magnificent, and at the same time you could not look at it without experiencing a vague sadness, the sadness bestowed by the sun"
May 9, 2025
“Dans ce verdoyant tunnel coupé de raies lumineuses, je vois un cavalier oublieux de son temps et qui fuit au galop vers hier”
Il résume avec poésie l’essence du passage : la nostalgie, le souvenir et l’enfance idéalisée dans le décor paisible de Passy. L’image du « cavalier » symbolise l’auteur lui-même, emporté par la mémoire vers un passé révolu. 👏👏👏👏👏
Il résume avec poésie l’essence du passage : la nostalgie, le souvenir et l’enfance idéalisée dans le décor paisible de Passy. L’image du « cavalier » symbolise l’auteur lui-même, emporté par la mémoire vers un passé révolu. 👏👏👏👏👏
January 1, 2026
‘Paris, for me, had become a kind of inner world through which i roamed in those difficult dawn hours …. i was carrying [Paris] round inside me …. the mere mention of the name broke [my] heart ‘
1st read of 2026 was perfect. It sums up everything i feel about this magnificent city. My only complaint is that it wasn’t longer!
1st read of 2026 was perfect. It sums up everything i feel about this magnificent city. My only complaint is that it wasn’t longer!
January 22, 2025
“Paris ne se livre guère aux gens pressés, je l'ai déjà dit, il appartient aux rêveurs, à ceux qui savent s'amuser dans les rues sans question de temps alors que d'urgentes besognes les réclament ailleurs; aussi leur récompense est-elle de voir ce que d'autres ne verront jamais.”
March 5, 2025
What a joy of a book for Paris lovers. Similar to A Moveable Feast, we have Paris seen by a loved one, who gets lost in it and takes us to every corner. It is less a travel book and more like a love letter. I can't wait to read more from this author!
January 17, 2026
A memoir of the life of flaneur Julien Green. I bought this while on a trip to Paris, and read it soon after, which made it all the more memorable as I could picture or had been through some of the experiences he wrote about. Beautiful prose.
April 16, 2024
A lyrical love letter to the city he grew up in. Evokes nostalgic vibes, heartwarming but at the same time concerning.
July 10, 2024
"A moins d'avoir perdu son temps dans une ville, personne ne saurait prétendre la bien connaître".
September 6, 2025
Paris, as written by her lover
March 24, 2026
The book you want to have in your pocket while you walk the streets of Paris. A love letter.
June 25, 2025
This felt like a bittersweet love letter to Paris and it's changes 💌✨
It's full of beautiful observations and a gentle, melancholy reflection on how places change over time. I liked that it mostly skipped the stereotypical areas of Paris and instead showed a more personal, almost hidden side of the city
It's a short, easy read filled with emotion and beautiful prose, especially the moments about missing a place that’s not quite the same anymore
If you want to satisfy a little wanderlust itch but don't want a full journey, then I highly recommend this little gem!
It's full of beautiful observations and a gentle, melancholy reflection on how places change over time. I liked that it mostly skipped the stereotypical areas of Paris and instead showed a more personal, almost hidden side of the city
It's a short, easy read filled with emotion and beautiful prose, especially the moments about missing a place that’s not quite the same anymore
If you want to satisfy a little wanderlust itch but don't want a full journey, then I highly recommend this little gem!
April 1, 2026
Very beautiful prose descriptions of a range of places and memories in midcentury Paris. The sense of time and place was clear, and it was a smooth, serene read. Although I can't really read French, I enjoyed having the French and English side by side. I echo other reviewers who would have benefitted from a map, and thought the accompanying photos were a nice touch.
June 14, 2025
heart of hearts
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews