Jazz Age Paris – enjoy 1920′s lifestyle

With the 2011 release of Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen’s cinematic love letter to the 1920s – and Baz Luhrmann’s eagerly awaited film adaptation of The Great Gatsby due in spring 2013, the Roaring 20’s are suddenly the focus of intense interest. The freewheeling, forward-thinking spirit of the age – known as Les Années Folles in French – and its elegant flapper style still possess a strong appeal today, as does the sultry jazz music that even now evokes the cosmopolitan flair of the interwar years.

Paris Jazz by Pascal Subtil

Paris was of course at the heart of the 1920s’ cultural imagination. Creative types flocked to the City of Light, where a liberal, bohemian lifestyle was the norm. For those enamoured of what many see as a Golden Age, there are still numerous places you can visit in Paris that capture something of the era’s romance. For a unique view of the French capital, plan a bus trip to Paris and embark on your own bohemian adventure in this atmospheric city.

Start with a leisurely stroll through the winding streets of Montparnasse and the Latin Quarter. These Left Bank neighbourhoods were the centre of the city’s cultural scene and home to many of the greatest names in art, music and literature. These included painters such as Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall, as well as the “Lost Generation” of American writers – most notably F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot.

You can visit (or at least view) the former homes of many of these renowned characters, ranging from the humble abodes of Ezra Pound (at 70 Rue Notre-Dame des Champs) and Hemingway (at 74 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine) to the extravagant mansion once occupied by Cole Porter at 13 Rue Monsieur. It is also possible to view the exterior of the flat at 27 Rue de Fleurus where Gertrude Stein hosted her legendary salons and began her impressive collection of art.

Hemingway home in Paris, France by Evan Bench

The bars and cafés of the Left Bank were another frequent meeting place for the decade’s most cutting edge minds. Many of these establishments were clustered in the Carrefour Vavin (now the Place Pablo-Picasso), and a number are still in business today, including La Closerie des Lilas (where Hemingway and James Joyce dined together) and La Rotonde (which Hemingway once denounced as a meeting place for posers rather than serious artists).

A short walk will also take you to the venerable Les Deux Magots Café in Place Saint Germain des Prés. This establishment positively drips with literary history – you can occupy the seats once favoured by the likes of Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus, among others. To further immerse yourself in the city’s literary past, head toward the Seine along the 5^th arrondissement to visit Shakespeare and Company. This independent bookshop is as iconic today as it was in the 1920s, when it attracted the likes of Hemingway, Joyce, Ford Madox Ford and William S. Burroughs.

Shakespeare And Company, Paris, France by Jim Linwood

For a taste of showbiz glamour, 1920s-style, check out a review at the famed Folies-Bergère or Le Moulin Rouge. Both were hugely successful in the Roaring 20s and catered to the popular taste for exotic, risqué music and dance. While the shows may seem a bit over-the-top today, the opulent setting of the cabaret clubs successfully evokes the carefree spirit of Les Années Folles.

This article was written by Rob Hawkins, a freelance copy writer who is currently writing on behalf of Megabus.

Tags: années folles, baz luhrmann, bohemian lifestyle, cosmopolitan flair, ernest hemingway, ezra pound, f scott fitzgerald, film adaptation, flapper style, gertrude stein, great gatsby, humble abodes, midnight in paris, pablo picasso, paris jazz, rue notre dame, rue notre dame des champs, spirit of the age, sultry jazz, woody allen

Category: France, Travel Tips