Thursday, December 15, 2011

I wanted a bookstore because the book business is the business of life


So said George Whitman, the owner of Shakespeare and Company, the famous Parisian English-language bookstore. Whitman died this week, at the age of  98. You can read his obituary here. I visited Shakespeare and Co. nearly thirty years ago and still remember it like a dream.

Thanks to T. Clear, I watched this fascinating video about Whitman and his bookstore -- if you're interested in literature and Paris and strange casts of characters, watch it -- the end is particularly wild.

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6 comments:

  1. Ms. MoonDecember 15, 2011 at 11:08 AM

    I just read about his death in the paper. I am jealous that you got to go there.

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  2. karioDecember 15, 2011 at 11:40 AM

    I love that quote. For as long as I can remember, if I ever owned a small business, I have wanted it to be a bookstore, complete with cushy chairs and coffee and tea and yummy snacks. I would leap out of bed to go to work every day!

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  3. 37paddingtonDecember 15, 2011 at 12:00 PM

    there was a shakespeare and company in new york before barnes and noble opened a block away and put it out of business.

    how i loved that store. i never visited the one in paris, but i know i would love it too.

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  4. Blue GalDecember 15, 2011 at 12:13 PM

    That looks like my idea of heaven.

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  5. T. December 15, 2011 at 9:14 PM

    Oh! Thanks for the shout out!

    Glad you enjoyed the film -- it's really a little treasure, isn't it?

    xo

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  6. Chris JDecember 16, 2011 at 11:27 PM

    best picture ever

    ReplyDelete