Paris History from the French Revolution
From Napoleon and Marie Antoinette to Filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard
Jul 8, 2007
The dark, criminal and working class Paris has fascinated people worldwide for centuries. Andrew Hussey’s new book, Paris: The Secret History, tells the same history of the city that every other book covers, but tells it from the point of view of the artists, poets, sex trade workers and the counterculture movements.
It makes for an absorbing look into the city of light over the last two thousand years. From the French revolutions, the reign of Henry IV, Napoleon and Marie Antoinette to the lesser known but truly important characters that make the city what it is today, the tales of Paris history are a rollicking good time under the guise of a history lesson.
Paris History
Spanning the entire history of the city is a task that many have tried and some have succeeded. Biographers of Paris usually focus on the facts of the royalty and who won the important battles, or solely on the brothels and criminals who walked the streets at night.
The Secret History of Paris is remarkable in that it digs deeply into both the facts and the “real” people who lived in the city. Kings and Queens are named, battles told and rulers acknowledged, but the focus is on the "petit gens", ordinary people, who made up the population.
The Working Class
These tales within the context of history are captivating because the reader learns why the people have always protested so passionately in the streets even though their living conditions were deplorable. The anger Parisians have felt over and over again at corrupt leaders and crooked kings is fleshed out extensively.
Andrew Hussey exposes the tourist traps for what they are and explains the meaning behind the most visited sites in the world. He reveals why the French are so proud of their history and so diligent in keeping their culture and their ways as they have always been.
French Artists
Some of the most famous writing is cited by poets and writers such as Rimbaud, Victor Hugo, François Villon, the marquis de Sade, Chateaubriand, Emile Zola, Charles Baudelaire, Jules Verne and Colette. The Dadaists, Impressionists, Communists and Surrealists are all included in the important movements that shaped the city.
Included are other contributors who have left their mark on today’s capital such as the French New Wave filmmakers like François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, as well as the tragic love story of Abelard and Heloïse.
City of Light
By uncovering all of Paris’ warts, darkness, riots, blood and destruction, Andrew Hussey is actually laying bare the reasons why the city is one of the most loved in the world. There is no romanticism or fond daydreams of a place that sweeps you off your feet. In this way, though, it is the most enchanting love letter to a city most deserving of the admiration.
