Hemingway and company in front of the famed bookstore
George Whitman, the founder of Shakespeare and Co. at 37 rue de la Bûcherie, has passed. The Shakespeare and Co. at this location is actually named after the original Shakespeare and Co. founded by Silvia Beach, which closed in 1940 due to Nazi occupation, never to reopen. Both the original and current Shakespeare and Co. have been a focal point for literary culture in Paris, attracting expat wordsmiths such as Hemingway , Joyce, Stein and Fitzgerald.
On my very first trip to Paris, and every subsequent trip to Paris thereafter, a must-do on the itinerary was a visit to Shakespeare and Co. – a small, eclectic, wonderfully chaotic shop on the Left Bank of Paris. It still is my go-to place whenever looking for an English book in Paris. When visiting check out the small upstairs cubbies they had set up for writers back in the day — little cramped nooks that would just barely fit a struggling writer and their machine. I’m not sure if they’re still in use, but the back room is still a gathering spot for writers and poets.
Shakespeare and Co. on Google Maps
Source: The Local
