Paris Vous Aime Magazine - n° 1

Saint-Germain-des-Prés: Les Lieux de Légende ( Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Places of Legend , Editions Parigramme, 2014). This was the mind of Paris where everyone who was anyone had to be. Intellectuals and artists lived in its hotels and met in the streets, cafés, and parties of an extraordinary cultural melting pot. "The unity and euphoric atmosphere were intoxicating to her", recalls De Beauvoir’s adopted daughter, Sylvie Le Bon de Beauvoir. "She was in tune with the exube- rant, profuse, anti-conformist youth movement". Existentialist village At the end of the war, the new generation embraced optimism and the desire to move forward. Existen- tialism, the philosophy advocated by Sartre and De Beauvoir stating that humankind is free and, above all, determined by actions, grew in popularity – though sometimes not as they'd hoped. The provocative 'za- zou' subculture, bebop jazz, Juliette Greco's songs, and Boris Vian's trumpet playing were all (perhaps prematurely) labelled "existentialist". "The bars and cellars of Saint-Germain-des-Prés took full advantage of these trends", said Le Bon de Beauvoir, whose book, Album Simone de Beauvoir (La Pléiade, 2018), chro- nicles the period. Because many students and artists lived in tiny maid’s quarters or poorly heated hotels, people warmed up by the Café de Flore’s famous stove or took shelter at Les Deux Magots, Brasserie Lipp, Rhumerie Martiniquaise, Le Procope, and the Royal Saint-Germain cafés. In the evening, the small caba- rets Le Tabou, Le Rose Rouge, and Club Saint-Germain featured jazz luminaries like Sydney Bechet andMiles Davis. One could spot Michel Leiris, Raymond Que- neau, Jean Genet, and Jacques Prévert around the neighbourhood. "Saint-Germain functioned as a soun- ding board. As soon as anyone created or published something, everyone knew about it", said Schlesser. The sometimes-overwhelming veneration of the unruly village nally pushed De Beauvoir away. "She did feel nostalgia for a time when you’d meet familiar faces in the streets and at Café de Flore, a land popu- lated with people you knew", says Le Bon de Beauvoir. A bygone era? "That vibrant, creative Saint-Germain- des-Prés has disappeared. It's gone from creativity to

Saint-Germain-des-Prés, éternel lieu de fête. Saint-Germain-des- Prés, an eternal place of celebration.

Duke Ellington, Boris Vian, Juliette Gréco et Anne-Marie Cazalis au Club Saint-Germain en juillet 1948. Duke Ellington, Boris Vian, Juliette Gréco, and Anne-Marie Cazalis at the Club Saint-Germain in July 1948.

consumption. But the neighbou- rhood still holds a p tic charm, particularly in its small, quiet streets and beautiful old fa- cades". A plaque facing Les Deux Magots bears witness to the past, with the names of the two thin- kers together once again.

Listen to our podcast A place, a face to discover the legendary Café de Flore.

1954 Prix Goncourt pour le roman Les Mandarins, une « évocation » selon son auteure. WinsthePrixGoncourtforthenovel TheMandarins , an"evocation"accordingtoDeBeauvoir.

1958 Publication de l’autobiographique Mémoires d’une jeune lle rangée . Publication of the autobiographical Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter .

1986 Décès à l’âge de 78 ans, six ans après Jean-Paul Sartre. Death at age 78, six years after Jean-Paul Sartre.

JANVIER-FÉVRIER 2020

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