Five nights in Paris After dark in the City of Light

John Baxter, 1939-

Book - 2015

"An unforgettable nocturnal tour through five iconic Parisian neighborhoods by the bestselling author of The Most Beautiful Walk in the World"--

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Subjects
Published
New York, NY : Harper Perennial [2015]
©2015
Language
English
Main Author
John Baxter, 1939- (-)
Edition
First edition
Item Description
Includes index.
Physical Description
vii, 334 pages : illustrations ; 18 cm
ISBN
9780062296252
  • The dangerous edge
  • As through a glass, and darkly
  • Woody's nights
  • Under cover
  • The dark side
  • Promenades
  • Five ladies feeling
  • White nights
  • Noises at night
  • Night 1 : sound. Blues in the night ; Paris on sea ; Raspberry and rose petals ; Eating well is the best revenge ; Time and tide ; Spending a centime ; Help the poor struggler ; The sense of a sacrifice ; Behind closed doors ; Love and fresh water
  • Night 2 : taste. Poor food? ; Strictly from hunger ; Proposing a toast
  • Night 3 : touch. A walk on the wild side ; Love at night ; Skin-deep ; Crazy by night
  • Night 4 : scent. Underworld Scent of a city ; The nose that knows ; Gardens of the night
  • Night 5 : sight. The black-and-white man ; Frenzy and darkness ; Bound for glory ; Waiting ; Exquisite corpse ; Magnetic fields ; The hotel of great men ; The hour of crimes.
Review by Booklist Review

John Baxter, an Australian expat, film scholar, and seasoned and popular travel writer, has charmed and informed readers about the finer points of Paris, his beloved adopted city, in such smart and avid books as Paris at the End of the World (2014). In Five Nights in Paris, an entertaining mix of amusing autobiography and fluent expertise, he undertakes an intriguing new challenge. Baxter was conducting daylight literary tours when a visitor, enamored of Woody Allen's film, Midnight in Paris, asked him about nocturnal explorations. Baxter was game, and thought, Why not base my night walks on the senses? A veritable font of historical anecdotes and bonhomie, Baxter makes after-dark visits to the sites of once fashionable brothels and jazz clubs, follows the scent of perfume, and sumptuously indulges his passion for food, writing, at each turn, with wit and rapture. Along the way, Baxter unveils evocative connections among such Paris-based creative rebels as the surrealists, Henry Miller, and Brassaï, all of whom also found Parisian nights intoxicating.--Seaman, Donna Copyright 2015 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review

Well-known biographer and film critic Baxter (Paris at the End of the World) has produced a fourth book on his most beloved of cities, this time focusing on the peculiarities of the Paris night. Readers might presume that this is a suggested itinerary of sorts, and though Baxter reveals that he leads literary walking tours in Paris, this volume provides little in the way of practical information. Rather, this is armchair travel at its very best. Baxter, whose knowledge of Paris's recent cultural history is vast, is a worthy guide. Fascinating stories and anecdotes are framed by a tantalizing focus on sight, sound, scent, taste, and touch. As we stroll the crooked streets of the Marais, we can almost hear the faint, tinkling music and rowdy shouting of long-gone cafés. We smell the pissoirs and parfumeries in equal measure. Baxter's poetic language ("the autumn sun's rancid light," "that crocodile of preschoolers, hands linked") packs a punch. VERDICT Readers will emerge from the experience of this book feeling like well-traveled experts on the City of Light's sensual history. Charming personal photographs strewn throughout only increase the sense that one is dipping into delicious secrets.-Erin O. -Romanyshyn, Frances -Morrison Central Lib., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Having lived in Paris for more than 20 years, Baxter (The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris, 2011, etc.), a guide to literary walks through the city, won't show you exactly which streets to follow; rather, he'll teach you how to know Paris and truly feel the enjoyment of flnerie. The activity of flnerie encompasses wandering aimlessly, going with the wind, and observing life as you go. One day, a customer asked the author if he did night walks, and the author decided that the five senses should be his guides. The joy of his writing is to realize that, even after living there for two decades, Paris still provides him with new avenues to explore. He divides the book into itineraries guided by the senses, but readers will need to dig deep to appreciate the connections. Readers who love Paris will likely love this book. No one can successfully write about Paris unless they truly love every nuance, oddity, and secret of her life; here, the author shines. Baxter's knowledge of those who have written about Parisfor years, he has collected such workwill lead readers to all sorts of corners that do not show up in any tourist guides. The author cites surrealist Philippe Soupault's Last Nights of Paris (1929) to show that in Paris at night, there may not be as much to see as many believe. Rather, the nighttime is a perfect canvas for thinking, a blank page on which to exercise the imagination, developing ideas in the dark. In closing, Baxter writes, "each of us must, in our own way, as with a new lover, seduce, or allow ourselves to be seduced by the Paris night." This is not a walking guide to Paris, but it is most certainly a guide to seeing and knowing Paris, one no Francophile should be without. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.