Paris on the Brink: The 1930s Paris of Jean Renoir, Salvador Dalí, Simone de Beauvoir, André Gide, Sylvia Beach, Léon Blum, and Their Friends

Interwar Paris #2

by Mary McAuliffe

Paris on the Brink vividly portrays the City of Light during the tumultuous 1930s, from the Wall Street Crash of 1929 to war and German Occupation. This was a dangerous and turbulent decade, during which workers flexed their economic muscle and their opponents struck back with increasing violence. As the divide between haves and have-nots widened, so did the political split between left and right, with animosities exploding into brutal clashes, intensified by the paramilitary leagues of the extreme right. Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini escalated the increasingly hazardous international environment, while the civil war in Spain added to the instability of the times.


Yet throughout the decade, Paris remained at the center of cultural creativity. Major figures on the Paris scene, such as Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, André Gide, Marie Curie, Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky, and Coco Chanel, continued to hold sway, in addition to Josephine Baker, Sylvia Beach, James Joyce, Man Ray, and Le Corbusier. Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre could now be seen at their favorite cafés, while Jean Renoir, Salvador Dalí, and Elsa Schiaparelli came to prominence, along with France’s first Socialist prime minister, Léon Blum.


Despite the decade’s creativity and glamour, it remained a difficult and dangerous time, and Parisians responded with growing nativism and anti-Semitism, while relying on their Maginot Line to protect them from external harm. Through rich illustrations and evocative narrative, Mary McAuliffe brings this extraordinary era to life.

Genres: History, France, Nonfiction, Art, Cities, Research, European History

359 pages, Hardcover

First published September 13, 2018

About the author

Mary McAuliffe holds a PhD in history from the University of Maryland, has taught at several universities, and lectured at the Smithsonian Institution. She has traveled extensively in France, and for many years she was a regular contributor to Paris Notes. Her books include Dawn of the Belle Epoque, Twilight of the Belle Epoque, When Paris Sizzled, Paris on the Brink, Clash of Crowns, and Paris Discovered. She lives in New York City with her husband.

Dawn of the Belle Epoque
Twilight of the Belle Epoque
When Paris Sizzled
Paris on the Brink
Clash of Crowns
Paris Discovered

Reviews

[Adam Gossman · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son hates to return library books. He cries and fusses when I make him return them. He is 6. I might cry and fuss when I return this awesome book.

[Andrea Engle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, the author’s fourth book on the history of Paris, showcases the 1930’s through the lens of the lives of Sylvia Beach, Jean Renoir, Salvador Dali, Chanel, Schiaparelli, and other celebrated Parisians ... fascinating tale of the decade and events leading to France’s role in the Second World War ...

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accessible and engaging history of Paris in the 1930s, told by various personalities' experiences during that decade

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the best of the 4-volume, chronological series, less gossip and far fewer trivial anecdotes, less indulgent personalities, it is a more sustained journey into the darkness coming of this “low, dishonest decade” — full of fascinating details and with a level of feeling absent from the previous volumes. This one is actually good and worth reading.

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and compelling book that contains stories about a set of brilliant individuals that found themselves in the city of light between the Wall Street Crash and German occupation.

Because of this incredible book, I was able to find myself in a circle of Gertrude Stein, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Gide, Marie Curie, Picasso, Stravinsky, the fabulous Coco Chanel, and Elsa Schiaparelli, sassy Josephine Baker, my hero Sylvia Beach, James Joyce, Man Ray, and Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, also Renoir, Dali. This book provides many more interesting facts about each character's life, their friendships, and struggles. The book's purpose is to focus on each individual's lives during the late 1920s and thru 1940, however, the reader is also given an opportunity to learn a bit more of their backgrounds prior to 1929.

Mary McAuliffe did a brilliant job of researching the facts and putting everything together into an astonishing novel. Thank you Rowman & Littlefield Publishers and NetGalley for a copy of this amazing book.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

4
This is a non-fiction account of the decade before the second World War, when Paris was the gathering place for artists, writers, adventurers, the intelligentsia, and France was divided in its political loyalties: between Fascism on the Right, and Communism on the Left. As the impact of the Depression began to affect Europe, it was faced with the rising influence of Adolf Hitler in Germany. The challenge for France was, how to react: through pacifism, appeasement, or military might? and the dilemma divided the country. This Mary McAuliffe account of those challenging, disturbing times centers on the lives of the famous: Coco Chanel, Henry Miller, Ernest Hemingway, Andre Gide, James Joyce, Dali, and Picasso, and the infamous: Franco, Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin. A fascinating 'read'.

[Kathleen D · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much I didn't know and opened me to more I want to know of the interwar years.

And very much, if not intentionally, drives home current problems with "fake news", violent clashes between right and left, and outsiders targeted and scapegoated is nothing new.
Frankly, it left me depressed when thinking of the trajectory of our times.

[Sevelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read several of her books on the Interwar period in France, each one well-researched and crisply written. Her websites — including a page on Facebook— are also noteworthy. This was a fine read—packed w fascinating details and insights into the many personages of that time, who came together in Montparnasse to create the modern artistic world.

[Margaret E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, but sad book

This book is the second by Mary McAuliffe about the years between the two world wars. It is brilliantly written. It is also quite tragic. There are a few hero’s including Charles de Gualle an Josephine Baker. Happily we know Paris survived the war year and once again became the city beloved by so many millions! An excellent read. I highly recommend it.

[Megan Roscoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

While undeniably informative, there were points when the writing became so information-dense that it was difficult to get through. The personal elements, with snapshots of the lives of some of the greats of the 30s, made for a compelling story, and encouraged reader engagement.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me awhile to get into it, but then really started to enjoy it.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. Author Mary McAuliffe does a great job of placing the reader in 1930s Paris. Having just returned from a trip to France, I was able to relate to this book in many respects.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched book about the decade in Paris prior to World War II. It is organized around several famous authors and artists.

[Leonard Studley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book immensely

This is the fourth book by this author that I have read, and it is the best one although all were interesting and well written and researched.

[Dvora Treisman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know why this was such a slog for me. The place, time, and people interest me. I read the other three in the series and liked them all.

[Kevin Christiansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've enjoyed reading all five of McAuliffe's books on Paris starting with Paris, City of Dreams. In total, a nice survey of Paris, its art, politics, and music, from 1848 until 1940. Onward ...

[Luesa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't care for the contemptuous, unkind portrayal of Josephine Baker. And the writing exposed the author's ignorance of the impacts of racism.

[J. Alexander · Rating 2 out of 5]

choppy narrative and undigested material

A book made up of bits and pieces of history. Poorly done. The subject is fascinating, the book is not.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

PARIS ON THE BRINK portrays the City of Light during the turbulent 1930s, from the Wall Street Crash of 1929 to the war and German Occupation — a dangerous decade with Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini on the rise and the Spanish civil war in full force. Amid the turmoil stood Paris as Europe’s cultural heart, drawing an enviable artistic crowd never quite seen before or since: Gertrude Stein, Hemingway, Gide, Marie Curie, Picasso, Stravinsky, and Coco Chanel, as well as Josephine Baker, Sylvia Beach, James Joyce, Man Ray, and Le Corbusier, plus Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Renoir, Dalí, and Elsa Schiaparelli. Rich illustrations and a stirring narrative by historian and author Mary McAuliffe breathe 1930s Paris to life.

Pub Date 13 Sep 2018

Thanks to Rowman & Littlefield and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#ParisOnTheBrink #NetGalley

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a dazzling cast of characters occupied Paris in the 1930s. Hemingway, Fitzgerald, the art-collecting Steins, Picasso, Sartre, De Beauvoir, Chanel, Nabokov, Colette, Le Courbusier, Dalí--and that's just the obvious ones. Mary McAuliffe introduces us to dozens not famous enough to be known by only one name but, even so, amazing talent in art, literature and living well--even during The Great Depression.
Then came WWII. Life in Paris became inhospitable for many--especially Jews, intellectuals, homosexuals and Surrealists. Many fled. Some, notably Chanel, Cocteau and Picasso, chose to stay.
I read this book with enormous pleasure. (I would have loved living in Paris during the '30s--despite the privations.) I only wish that the characters had been more completely fleshed out. In some instances we are given only tantalizing glimpses. But, then, this would have been a book of 1,000+ pages..
In all, this is a masterful book by a scholar (Ms. McAuliffe has a Ph.D in history) who writes in a way that's both educational and entertaining.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

If only I could go back in time and live in the Paris of the 1930s....just think of all the amazing talent there! Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and more. Since I don't have a TARDIS to get me to 1930s Paris just yet, the next best thing is to read Dr. Mary McAuliffe's brilliant Paris on the Brink.

McAuliffe chronicles the city of light through the 1930s, the depression, and into WWII. It's an excellent overview and such fun to read. I highly recommend this fun and entertaining book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Kendra · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Paris on the Brink, Mary McAuliffe offers anecdotes about the Famous People of Paris in the 1930s, stringing them together with loose connections while at the same time providing some context about the French, American, and international political climates of the period. This would have been a fun and entertaining book--albeit not one that has anything new to say about this period or its people--if it weren't for some curiously old-fashioned and problematic writing choices. McAuliffe often refers to women by their first names but men by their last, a misogynist practice that most editors would have insisted be changed, and her use of ableist terms like "crazy" and "a nutcase" are inappropriate and offensive.