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Paris Notebooks: Essays & Reviews
“Riveting . . . rollicking . . . elegantly captures a changing France reckoning with the cultural revolutions of the mid-20th century.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Enthralling essays on the expatriate experience in Paris and shrewd literary criticism by one of the twentieth century’s finest writers.
Mavis Gallant is revered as one of the great short story writers of her generation, but she was also an astute observer and formidable reporter. This selection of Gallant’s essays and reviews written between 1968 and 1985 begins with her impressions of the Parisian student uprising in May 1968. Originally published in The New Yorker , “The Events in May” inspired Wes Anderson’s film The French Dispatch and Gallant herself served as inspiration for the journalist portrayed by Frances McDormand.
Paris Notebooks presents a whole range of subjects portraying French society, ranging from architecture and literature to the gripping story of Gabrielle Russier, a young French schoolteacher driven to imprisonment, madness, and suicide as the result of an affair with one of her students. Also included are Gallant’s astute reviews of books by major figures such as Vladimir Nabokov, Simone de Beauvoir, Colette, and Günter Grass. No matter what form she’s working in, Mavis Gallant’s flawless prose is always full of wit and acuity.
This Nonpareil edition includes a new introduction by acclaimed literary biographer Hermione Lee.
Enthralling essays on the expatriate experience in Paris and shrewd literary criticism by one of the twentieth century’s finest writers.
Mavis Gallant is revered as one of the great short story writers of her generation, but she was also an astute observer and formidable reporter. This selection of Gallant’s essays and reviews written between 1968 and 1985 begins with her impressions of the Parisian student uprising in May 1968. Originally published in The New Yorker , “The Events in May” inspired Wes Anderson’s film The French Dispatch and Gallant herself served as inspiration for the journalist portrayed by Frances McDormand.
Paris Notebooks presents a whole range of subjects portraying French society, ranging from architecture and literature to the gripping story of Gabrielle Russier, a young French schoolteacher driven to imprisonment, madness, and suicide as the result of an affair with one of her students. Also included are Gallant’s astute reviews of books by major figures such as Vladimir Nabokov, Simone de Beauvoir, Colette, and Günter Grass. No matter what form she’s working in, Mavis Gallant’s flawless prose is always full of wit and acuity.
This Nonpareil edition includes a new introduction by acclaimed literary biographer Hermione Lee.
392 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
32 people are currently reading
454 people want to read
About the author
Mavis Gallant
89 books256 followersCanadian journalist and fiction writer. In her twenties, Gallant worked as a reporter for the Montreal Standard. She left journalism in 1950 to pursue fiction writing. To that end, always needing autonomy and privacy, she moved to France.
In 1981, Gallant was honoured by her native country and made an Officer of the Order of Canada for her contribution to literature. That same year she also received the Governor General's Award for literature for her collection of stories, Home Truths. In 1983-84, she returned to Canada as the University of Toronto's writer-in-residence. In 1991 Queen’s University awarded her an honorary LL.D. In 1993 she was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada.
In 1989, Gallant was made a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2000, she won the Matt Cohen Prize, and in 2002 the Rea Award for the Short Story. The O. Henry Prize Stories of 2003 was dedicated to her. In 2004, Gallant was awarded a Lannan Literary Fellowship.
With Alice Munro, Gallant was one of a few Canadian authors whose works regularly appeared in The New Yorker. Many of Gallant’s stories had debuted in the magazine before subsequently being published in a collection.
Although she maintained her Canadian citizenship, Gallant continued to live in Paris, France since the 1950s.
On November 8, 2006, Mavis Gallant received the Prix Athanase-David from the government of her native province of Quebec. She was the first author writing in English to receive this award in its 38 years of existence.
In 1981, Gallant was honoured by her native country and made an Officer of the Order of Canada for her contribution to literature. That same year she also received the Governor General's Award for literature for her collection of stories, Home Truths. In 1983-84, she returned to Canada as the University of Toronto's writer-in-residence. In 1991 Queen’s University awarded her an honorary LL.D. In 1993 she was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada.
In 1989, Gallant was made a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2000, she won the Matt Cohen Prize, and in 2002 the Rea Award for the Short Story. The O. Henry Prize Stories of 2003 was dedicated to her. In 2004, Gallant was awarded a Lannan Literary Fellowship.
With Alice Munro, Gallant was one of a few Canadian authors whose works regularly appeared in The New Yorker. Many of Gallant’s stories had debuted in the magazine before subsequently being published in a collection.
Although she maintained her Canadian citizenship, Gallant continued to live in Paris, France since the 1950s.
On November 8, 2006, Mavis Gallant received the Prix Athanase-David from the government of her native province of Quebec. She was the first author writing in English to receive this award in its 38 years of existence.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 17, 2015
"I do not read books," David Hume is supposed to have written. "I read IN them..." That describes my approach to this, and, increasingly, to many other books.
This particular volume contains the non-fiction writings of Mavis Gallant, a Canadian writer of short stories who spent most of her life in France, and who died recently at a ripe old age. It contains her notes written during the events of May 1968 (Paris Notebooks I and II) -- which are vivid, marvelous, stenographic, peculiar. There is a lengthy account of the Gabrielle Russier case, the Mary Kay Letourneau of the late 60's, early 70's -- whose trial and suicide became a fascination in the press of that time; a marvelous appreciation of the crank writer Paul Léautaud; one of Yourcenar; some essays on style; and some brief reviews of recent books of Nabokov, Simenon, Theodore Zeldin, biographies of Malreaux and Céline, and so forth -- all from the New Yorker, NYRB, and NYTBR from the earlly 70's.
Her write moves from the fine to the fabulous -- some of this material weighty, some as light as mist. An excellent collection.
This particular volume contains the non-fiction writings of Mavis Gallant, a Canadian writer of short stories who spent most of her life in France, and who died recently at a ripe old age. It contains her notes written during the events of May 1968 (Paris Notebooks I and II) -- which are vivid, marvelous, stenographic, peculiar. There is a lengthy account of the Gabrielle Russier case, the Mary Kay Letourneau of the late 60's, early 70's -- whose trial and suicide became a fascination in the press of that time; a marvelous appreciation of the crank writer Paul Léautaud; one of Yourcenar; some essays on style; and some brief reviews of recent books of Nabokov, Simenon, Theodore Zeldin, biographies of Malreaux and Céline, and so forth -- all from the New Yorker, NYRB, and NYTBR from the earlly 70's.
Her write moves from the fine to the fabulous -- some of this material weighty, some as light as mist. An excellent collection.
July 14, 2024
The account of 1968 events was curious to read, but the two essays that had me on the edge of my seat were “Immortal Gatito: The Gabrielle Russier Case” and “The Introduction to War Brides”. Beautiful writing, sharp cultural observations and original style.
April 17, 2025
Ada is excited that the new Wes Anderson movie opens on her birthday. I told her this book inspired his French Dispatch. She was unimpressed.
February 24, 2017
Mavis Gallant moved to Europe in 1950, and after trying out a few other cities settled in Paris, where she lived until her death in 2014. She was fluent in French, and lived her life as part of her chosen city rather than as one passing through or relegated to the fringes. This is most evident in her Paris Notebooks Parts I and II, which cover the month of May (and part of June) in 1968, when the students brought the city to a halt. The students were protesting in the United States also, but as Gallant points out, the students protested and rioted at Columbia University and elsewhere and everyone else went about their business. Her description of how the city, its workers, residents, government employees, and others, reacted to the student protests is remarkable for its detail. Gallant left the safety of her apartment and visited the barricades, parents of protesting students, the shopkeepers who had to decide if they’d stay open, close, hoard, or sell, and neighborhoods affected either more or less by the student demands. She also catalogued, gently, the shift in attitudes as the student protests were eventually met with counter protests and a government response.
The collection contains a number of book reviews and a few essays on important individuals of the time. The most striking and surprisingly timely is the record of the Gabrielle Russier case. Gabrielle was a young teacher who had an affair with a student, a teenage boy fourteen at the outset. She was originally friends with him and his family, and the relationship started innocently, with a trip to the movies and chatting over coffee. Gallant discusses at crucial points the way French, as opposed to Americans, view certain behaviors, and even within the French context it is not always easy to explain what happened. The boy’s parents ultimately decided to press charges, and thus began a horrifying downward slide for Gabrielle Russier. The twists and turns of her case and the parents’ behavior, court decisions, and public reactions are a riveting but sad story. Gabrielle eventually committed suicide. Nothing in this saga is black or white, and the parallels with incidents in the US underscore the differences between France and the US rather than illuminating the question more brightly.
Gallant offers muscular reviews of several books on famous writers, such as Nabokov, de Beauvoir, Sartre, Colette, and Simenon. Her essay on Elizabeth Bowen is perceptive and interesting, as are they all, but unusual in that we hear less about Bowen than we do of the others mentioned.
The weakest essay is that on style. This is perhaps the result of the topic rather than the writer. I have yet to read an essay on this topic that is persuasive or very illuminating.
The best way to get an understanding of the way Gallant lived and thought is perhaps through her Introduction to The War Brides. Gallant interviewed a number of British women who married Canadian servicemen during the war and emigrated to Canada. Many of them had no idea what they were getting into and most had no choice but to remain and make the best of it. Gallant sees them clearly and kindly, and writes about their circumstances with compassion. She kept in touch with some, and followed up later on the steps in their journeys.
Gallant began her writing career as a journalist, before switching to fiction and moving to Europe, and this introduction is an early example of her acute perceptions about people and what makes them tick, a gift that would play out in her fiction over the decades to come.
The collection contains a number of book reviews and a few essays on important individuals of the time. The most striking and surprisingly timely is the record of the Gabrielle Russier case. Gabrielle was a young teacher who had an affair with a student, a teenage boy fourteen at the outset. She was originally friends with him and his family, and the relationship started innocently, with a trip to the movies and chatting over coffee. Gallant discusses at crucial points the way French, as opposed to Americans, view certain behaviors, and even within the French context it is not always easy to explain what happened. The boy’s parents ultimately decided to press charges, and thus began a horrifying downward slide for Gabrielle Russier. The twists and turns of her case and the parents’ behavior, court decisions, and public reactions are a riveting but sad story. Gabrielle eventually committed suicide. Nothing in this saga is black or white, and the parallels with incidents in the US underscore the differences between France and the US rather than illuminating the question more brightly.
Gallant offers muscular reviews of several books on famous writers, such as Nabokov, de Beauvoir, Sartre, Colette, and Simenon. Her essay on Elizabeth Bowen is perceptive and interesting, as are they all, but unusual in that we hear less about Bowen than we do of the others mentioned.
The weakest essay is that on style. This is perhaps the result of the topic rather than the writer. I have yet to read an essay on this topic that is persuasive or very illuminating.
The best way to get an understanding of the way Gallant lived and thought is perhaps through her Introduction to The War Brides. Gallant interviewed a number of British women who married Canadian servicemen during the war and emigrated to Canada. Many of them had no idea what they were getting into and most had no choice but to remain and make the best of it. Gallant sees them clearly and kindly, and writes about their circumstances with compassion. She kept in touch with some, and followed up later on the steps in their journeys.
Gallant began her writing career as a journalist, before switching to fiction and moving to Europe, and this introduction is an early example of her acute perceptions about people and what makes them tick, a gift that would play out in her fiction over the decades to come.
December 21, 2023
Anyone who has visited Paris, or any part of France will no doubt be familiar with la grève. The French accept labor strikes as part of daily life. It’s no doubt politically effective, though as often as you’ll hear “train’s late? C’est la grève” seldom will the matter being protested be discussed. Reading Mavis Gallant’s first-hand account of the 1968 Paris Riot while missing a boat à cause de la grève was a microdose of the social climate she immerses herself in. Unsure if she mentions the historical context ever, her thoughtfully slipshod prose instead puts the reader in a time and place where the people rioting may not have known what the protests were originally about, either. She illustrates the occasional hypocrisy of the student protesters (“We ask, ‘Why Stalin?’ She hesitates, has been asked this before, says in a parrot’s voice, ‘We are prepared to admit his errors, but he was a revolutionary, too.’ Then so was Hitler.”) but for the most part remains a sympathetic, if detached observer to the myriad of grievances. The prose is sparse (it was intended as field notes) but still remarkably funny. The Events in May: A Paris Notebook is notable for having inspired a section of the film The French Dispatch, and I had read the first half in the Anderson-edited collection An Editor’s Burial. In its entirety it remained out of print until earlier this year, and while The Events in May is clearly the centerpiece of this collection, the other essays are worth mentioning.
The second longest piece in this book is a true-crime essay of almost 70 pages called “Immortal Gatito: The Gabrielle Russier Case,” which was also a surprisingly enthralling read. It tells the story of a female schoolteacher who slept with a 16 year old student, and the ensuing legal battle and eventual suicide of Gabrielle Russier. To make the case understandable for American audiences (the account was originally published in the New Yorker) Gallant expounds on the nuances of Napoleonic law, and somehow makes that interesting. For example, “in a French murder trial the jury is not asked to decide if the defendant did it but if he is guilty,” a nuance which creates nuances such as a man who stabbed his neighbor to death simply for being annoying (“the court expressed sympathy for persons who live in noisy and jerry-built apartment houses.”) But interestingly, this leniency is what caused the courts to come down so hard on Russier (a divorcée). Doubtlessly statutory rape is never okay, but in 1960s France, the same crime committed by a man against a girl would be treated with leniency; this double standard is what sparked a lot of the culture war surrounding this case. “Immortal Gatito” is not an essay I would have sought out if it had not been in this volume, but Gallant treats her subjects with both nuance and sympathy without necessarily forgiving their actions and it made for a fascinating read.
The rest of this collection was not as interesting as these two pieces, and it seemed a lot of them were chosen at random simply for being about Paris, almost as if to cram the book to justify the price. There are some introductions Gallant wrote to various biographies such as Paul Léautaud and Marguerite Yourcenar, but nothing as personal in voice as A Paris Notebook. Her voice throughout makes me want to read more, but I didn’t get enough of an impression from these alone. The last section of the book is reviews of other books, none of which I had read, and mostly biographies. Reading them felt Borges-level meta; though I didn’t get anything out of them, here I am writing a review of reviews.
The second longest piece in this book is a true-crime essay of almost 70 pages called “Immortal Gatito: The Gabrielle Russier Case,” which was also a surprisingly enthralling read. It tells the story of a female schoolteacher who slept with a 16 year old student, and the ensuing legal battle and eventual suicide of Gabrielle Russier. To make the case understandable for American audiences (the account was originally published in the New Yorker) Gallant expounds on the nuances of Napoleonic law, and somehow makes that interesting. For example, “in a French murder trial the jury is not asked to decide if the defendant did it but if he is guilty,” a nuance which creates nuances such as a man who stabbed his neighbor to death simply for being annoying (“the court expressed sympathy for persons who live in noisy and jerry-built apartment houses.”) But interestingly, this leniency is what caused the courts to come down so hard on Russier (a divorcée). Doubtlessly statutory rape is never okay, but in 1960s France, the same crime committed by a man against a girl would be treated with leniency; this double standard is what sparked a lot of the culture war surrounding this case. “Immortal Gatito” is not an essay I would have sought out if it had not been in this volume, but Gallant treats her subjects with both nuance and sympathy without necessarily forgiving their actions and it made for a fascinating read.
The rest of this collection was not as interesting as these two pieces, and it seemed a lot of them were chosen at random simply for being about Paris, almost as if to cram the book to justify the price. There are some introductions Gallant wrote to various biographies such as Paul Léautaud and Marguerite Yourcenar, but nothing as personal in voice as A Paris Notebook. Her voice throughout makes me want to read more, but I didn’t get enough of an impression from these alone. The last section of the book is reviews of other books, none of which I had read, and mostly biographies. Reading them felt Borges-level meta; though I didn’t get anything out of them, here I am writing a review of reviews.
March 23, 2018
There's a little bit of everything in this book, and Gallant's most excellent writing makes it all so delightful that I'm probably going to read it again in a few months. It opens with a terse, two part journal detailing Gallant's experiences during the strikes and chaos of the 1968 student riots. Following that are some of the finest essays I've read in a long time, such as What is Style? (a must-read) and a great reflection on Paul Léautaud's life. Who is Léautaud? I didn't know at all before the essay, and now I want to read his memoirs: that's just how good the essay is.
Gallant's writing is top notch. It's brisk, concise, evocative, sometimes unexpected, and always easy to read. It doesn't hurt that she frames her subjects incredibly well, so even when you read about an unfamiliar person or event, you quickly get your bearings. Plus the venom she drops on poor translation (a running theme later in the book) is wondrous. It's hard to find good translation criticism.
In the second part of the book you get a bunch of incisive, well-written reviews that will probably make you wish that anyone could write reviews with Gallant's insight and verve in this day and age. Alas, you'll have to settle for my hyperbole: this is an excellent book. Anyone who loves reading, and everyone who writes, should read it.
Gallant's writing is top notch. It's brisk, concise, evocative, sometimes unexpected, and always easy to read. It doesn't hurt that she frames her subjects incredibly well, so even when you read about an unfamiliar person or event, you quickly get your bearings. Plus the venom she drops on poor translation (a running theme later in the book) is wondrous. It's hard to find good translation criticism.
In the second part of the book you get a bunch of incisive, well-written reviews that will probably make you wish that anyone could write reviews with Gallant's insight and verve in this day and age. Alas, you'll have to settle for my hyperbole: this is an excellent book. Anyone who loves reading, and everyone who writes, should read it.
September 2, 2025
Mavis Gallant is a elegant, wise, and witty story teller. I happened to be a student living in Paris during the immediate aftermath of the Uprising of 1968 and I witnessed events she artfully portrays here —with our differing judgmental perspectives of a youthful contrarian and a comfortably established critic. This volume also contains sharp-sketches of authors she read and met in the Parisian milieu, authors familiär to my readings then and there as well. Her critiques are biting and to the point. Her words can be too cruel, overlooking the inspiring prose of our youthfully favored French intelligentsia. Nonetheless, we youthful readers went astray with high praise Gallant knew was not deserved — a Cassandra ahead of her time.
December 18, 2019
Gallant was living in Paris during May '68, on assignment from the New Yorker, and she kept a fragmentary journal of events as the streets of Paris filled with protestors, normal life ground to a halt, and, ultimately, De Gaulle reestablished control. There's almost no big picture context, but the vignettes of daily life at a defining moment of the Sixties give a sense I hadn't gotten anywhere else.
June 1, 2024
Took a long time for me to read and had to look up many French phrases and words but I learned a bit of French history from 1968 and I learned about French authors. There were parts of the book that were boring and took a while to get through and occasionally I asked what it was all about but overall very well written in a journalistic fashion.
January 25, 2024
She has a good way of using language and doesn't hold back with her opinions. A lot of the content was topics I didn't know much about (and maybe wasn't super interested in?), but parts were interesting. All the French topics made me feel a bit uneducated!
May 21, 2020
Wonderful writing. A great review of 1968 . And her delightful commentary on various writers.
June 23, 2025
i’ve only read the story of the riots so far. loved it. “story” is not fiction. just her notes but loved it. it felt really there. fantastic escape
February 1, 2024
Short story writing at its best.
Gallant weaves words into a tapestry that you just can't put down
Gallant weaves words into a tapestry that you just can't put down
June 1, 2010
The first 2 segments are Gallant's detailed account of the l968 'manifestations' in Paris 1968-- gives the reader a 'you are there' sense of what it was like to live through those times: no metro, no deliveries, no car because no petrol, no groceries, etc--all mixed with the intensity of the demonstrations,the police, the varied perspectives, and the changing views of some people after it was all over.
The remainder of the book includes her essays and book reviews. Of special note is Gallant's essay on the Gabrielle Russier affair (with a younger male student) and the French reaction, which angers Gallant for it's double standard for women and abuse of power.
Read only a few book reviews--much like essays, with lots of background and information.
The remainder of the book includes her essays and book reviews. Of special note is Gallant's essay on the Gabrielle Russier affair (with a younger male student) and the French reaction, which angers Gallant for it's double standard for women and abuse of power.
Read only a few book reviews--much like essays, with lots of background and information.
July 21, 2009
Mavis Gallant`s power as a short story writer leaves you unprepared for what an astounding and perceptive critic and observer she is...though arguably the best short story writers are great and close observers of human nature. But this collection, especially the essays on the Paris revolts of 1968, leave you wanting more. I suspect I should be satisfied that she is such a prolific short story writer...but I do want more of her non fiction.
May 31, 2010
Even when I knew nothing/cared little about the subject of one of the essays (Paul Leautaud, Jean Giraudoux... who & who?), I still admired her style and insight. Interesting perspectives on French society.
April 3, 2010
Lightness and balance, the kind that restore sanity.
December 28, 2011
A little dated now but still worthwhile for fans of Gallant.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews