WALK THROUGH PARIS: A Radical Exploration

The acclaimed author of 'The Invention of Paris' leads us by the hand in this walk from Ivry to Saint-Denis, roughly following the meridian that divides Paris into east and west, and passing such familiar landmarks as the Luxembourg Gardens, the Pompidou Centre, the Gare du Nord and Montmartre, as well as little-known alleyways and arcades. Filled with historical anecdotes, geographical observations and literary references, Eric Hazan's walk guides us through an unknown Paris, showing us how, through planning and modernisation, the city's revolutionary past has been erased in order to enforce a reactionary future. But by walking and observation he shows us how we can regain our knowledge of the radical past of the city of Robespierre, the Commune, Sartre and the May-68 Uprising. The book begins and ends in a bookshop, the Envie de Lire, a place of 'browsing and discovery'. With lovely little hand drawn maps and dozens of photos throughout the text, 198pp in paperback.