The Left Bank Revisited: Selections from the Paris Tribune 1917–1934

by Hugh D. Ford (Editor), Matthew Josephson (Foreword by)

A sparkling anthology of the best and most representative social and literary pieces from the Chicago Tribune, European Edition (better known as the Paris Tribune), this volume provides first-hand documentation of the literary and cultural life of the "expatriate" writers of the twenties and thirties. The Chicago Tribune got off to a spirited start in France, serving as a haven for a staggeringly talented band of expatriates, among them novelists, poets, musicians, and even a few promising newspapermen, who descended on Paris during the decade fully determined to test their talents in the ambiance of that modern Parnassus, the Left Bank.

During its seventeen years, the Paris Tribune employed a steady stream of famous and soon-to-be famous young writers and intellectuals: Ford Madox Ford, Eugene Jolas, and Elliot H. Paul edited and contributed to a Sunday Literary Supplement; Floyd Gibbons and George Seldes worked as reporters. Editors included Dave Darrah, James Thurber, and Hank Wales. Henry Miller and Bravig Imbs read copy; Kay Boyle, Maxwell Bodenheim, Alfred Perles, Alex Small, Harold Stearns, and Lansing Warren wrote features. These previously untapped articles provide a rich cultural history of the animated experimentation that shaped the literary, musical, and artistic movements of today. Rounding out the selection of articles are retrospective essays by several former members of the European Edition's staff, including Ralph Jules Frantz, the paper's last managing editor.

364 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1972

Reviews

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up The Left Bank Revisited: Selections from the Paris Tribune 1917–1934 expecting a quick palate cleanser and ended up reading it on my porch until the streetlights came on. Hugh D. Ford writes a couple stuck in a rental car on the wrong side of a state line, and the scene where they argue over a gas station map like it's a custody battle is the funniest and most honest fight I've read in ages. Petty, loud, and weirdly sweet. What bugged me was the third act, which swaps all that great bickering for a speech about "what really matters." Who this is for: readers who like love stories with some sandpaper in them. Who should pass: anybody who wants a gooey, uncomplicated romance.

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Left Bank Revisited reminds us that Hugh D. Ford sees right through the theatrical debate stage to the shared elite interests operating quietly behind the scenes.