Author(s): Adam Gopnik

Travel

In 1995, Adam Gopnik, his wife, and their infant son left the familiar comforts and hassles of New York for the urbane glamour of Paris. Charmed by the beauties of the city, Gopnik set out to experience for him self the spirit and romance that has so captivated American writers throughout the twentieth century.

In the grand tradition of Stein and He mingway, Gopnik planned to walk the paths of the Tuilleries, to enjoy philosophical discussion in cafTs - in short, to lead the fabled life of an American in Paris Of course, as readers of Gopnik's beloved 'Paris Journals' in the New Yorker know, there was also the matter of raising a child and carrying on with everyday, no-so fabled life. Evenings with French intellectuals precede middle-of-the night baby feedings; afternoons are filled with trips to the MusTe d'Orsay and pinball games ; weekday leftovers are eaten while three star chefs debate a 'culinary crisis'. With singular wit and insight, Gopnik manages to weave the magical with the mundane in a wholly delightful book. His five-year sojourn traces a sentimental re-education in what it means to be an American in Paris.

First published 2000.