"An Afternoon in Paris"

11/01/23 • 1 min

Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) was a native of Berlin, but he had deep roots in Paris. In his essay, "A Berlin Chronicle" from Reflections, he reminisces about the role played by people in his life, from childhood on. Here, while seated in the Café Deux Magots in St-Germain-des-Prés, he has a revelation--an illumination, in his words--that encapsulates the way so many feel about Paris as a place of personal insight and inspiration.

This podcast was created by Roger Mummert for www.theparisproject.net.

This podcast was created by Roger Mummert for www.theparisproject.net.

Previous Episode

Mark Twain Takes a Shave in Paris

We venerate Mark Twain as a foundational American novelist, but for much of his career he paid his bills by traveling the world, writing of his adventures and recounting them from the stage. In fact, Twain spent 12 years abroad--including nearly two years living in Paris. This is Part 1 of the "Mark Twain and France" series, in which we explore Twain's first encounter with Paris as a reporter on a travel excursion in 1867.

This podcast was created by Roger Mummert for www.theparisproject.net.

Next Episode

Intro: Quelle Bourgeois!

"Bourgeois” by definition means middle class. And while most French citizens are middle class, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who wants to be called bourgeois. “Quelle horreur!”
Indeed, in France, “bourgeois” has a complicated biography. We explore that in this series.

This podcast was created by Roger Mummert for www.theparisproject.net.