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John William Tuohy lives in Washington DC

Shakespeare and Company: the historic Parisian bookstore is in danger of closure

 

Shakespeare and Company: the historic Parisian bookstore is in danger of closure

Ethan Hawke and Darren Aronfsky spent the night there in exchange for tidying up the shelves. The pandemic is too cruel.

A special place in Paris.

There are bookstores that have large collections of books and then there are bookstores that are not just stores, but authentic homes for the writer. This is the case of Shakespeare and Company, an iconic bookstore in Paris which may close soon.

“Lonely Planet” tells us that the bookstore has sent an email to its customers acknowledging the difficult situation in which they find themselves. The drop in sales has been more than 80% since March, the month when the new coronavirus began to be felt in force in Europe. As the bills accumulate, the bookstore can close its doors on December 1st.

The original space was founded by Sylvia Beach in the year following World War I, 1919, and has been visited by names like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, TS Eliot and James Joyce. It was called Le Mistral when in 1951 the bookstore resumed its life, in the hands of an American based in Paris, George Whitman.

In 1964, the year of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare, Whitman decided to change his name by paying homage not only to the greatest figure of letters, but also to the former owner of the store. Sylvia, by the way, was the name she gave her daughter.

Since then, Shakespeare and Company has grown into a space that authors cherish like few others. Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Anaïs Nin and James Baldwin are among the visitors to the store when it reopens.

The site was also known to have a sofa that served as a den for several guests. Actor Ethan Hawke and director Darren Arronofsky are among the personalities who have spent the night there. The stay was paid for by the work in the store, the installation of the shelves.

After George’s death, his daughter, Sylvia Whitman, took over the store. In the email to customers, the owner details a few simple ways that customers can help. The bookstore sells cloth bags and in addition to books you can purchase vouchers to use in the future. The store also has a special ongoing subscription that gives access to a year of reading: there are 12 books that people will receive, one per month for a year, the choice being left to the bookstore team.

The space has become not only a place for lovers of letters but also a picturesque space which generally receives the attention of tourists who come to Paris in search of small hiding places in the city.