TIME EUROPE
May 22, 2000 VOL. 155 NO. 20
LETTER FROM ST. GERMAIN
Last Words on the Left Bank
Paris' old bohemian quarter is under siege by boutiques and tourists
By KIM SOO LANDRY
Nursing an espresso at a sidewalk café table in Paris' Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood, 82-year-old Yvonne Leylavergne recalls the times when writers, artists, jazz-crazed youths and musicians turned the quarter into a cauldron of activity and conversation. "The place was so gay and noisy," she says. "It was like an ongoing fête." Those were the postwar days when French youth flocked to basement jazz clubs like Boris Vian's Tabou and danced all night to the pounding rhythms of Sidney Bechet and other expatriate American musicians. Above ground, existential writer-philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir were conceiving their books and essays at the Flore and Deux Magots cafés.
For at least two centuries before that, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, with its theaters, cafés and fine arts academy, had been one of Paris' most culturally rich neighborhoods. Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire and Rousseau debated in the Café Procope. Later generations of writers and philosophers, ranging from Baudelaire to Wilde and Hemingway, left their mark on the legendary Café Voltaire, the Brasserie Lipp and such bookstores as Le Divan and Shakespeare and Company.
All that welter of life and creativity is threatened by an invasion of boutiques and upscale chain stores. The transformation began in 1966 when the first of four Yves Saint Laurent stores opened there. Three years ago, Le Divan bookstore was replaced by a Christian Dior outlet. Next to go was Le Drugstore, a late-night rendezvous where one could buy books, have a meal or see a movie; it was transformed two years ago into a sleek Emporio Armani clothing store. With the subsequent arrival of Cartier, Lancel and others, the area risks becoming a ghetto de luxe. The upmarket invasion has contributed to an exodus of the traditional residents. "Money has replaced the existentialist philosophy," charges Annie Maillet, a local art gallery employee. "It's a sad period for Saint-Germain."
Locals have formed no fewer than six associations to fight what they denounce as a "catastrophic" situation. The closing of Le Divan has "put in jeopardy the identity of Saint-Germain," says Pascale Joannin, spokeswoman for a group of 1,500 residents — among them Catherine Deneuve and Charles Aznavour — formed to preserve the cultural history of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Joannin's association and another local committee of café and shop owners have tried to fight back, sponsoring exhibitions to give artists the opportunity to display their work in stores, hotels and bookshops. "We are trying to merge business and culture," she says. The Café de Flore also plays its part. The first Wednesday of every month it houses "Café des Philosophes," where people can meet upstairs from 7-9 pm to "share thoughts on human existence, the arts. etc." The discussion is in English. The Flore also holds play readings in English, because many of the newcomers to the area are English speakers, the first three Mondays of every month and ends each month with a French reading of an English play. Actors present works by authors such as Christopher Hampton, George Bernard Shaw and Tom Stoppard. Jacques Mathivat, proprietor of the Deux Magots and founder of a committee of café and shop owners, says the goal is not to resist commerce but to involve the stores in the community's cultural side. To celebrate the artistic souls that have flourished in the quarter, Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés was last month renamed in honor of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.
But there is little chance that resistance by locals can hold back the tide. Two years ago, two of the area's jazz clubs closed their doors. "Only wealthy tourists can afford to come in this place," says Stéphane Roger, drummer for six years at Le Bilboquet, Saint-Germain's last remaining jazz joint. A year ago, the popular Café Saint-Sulpice was replaced by the Sequoia chain store specializing in chic leather bags. Rumor had it that the next victims might be the Café de la Mairie or even the venerable Deux Magots, but both insist that, while they have fewer customers at night, the influx of new shops has actually helped their business.
Those who are spearheading the changes deny that they are destroying the neighborhood's cultural fabric. LVMH marketing executive Patrick Ville argues that the 1950s philosophy and the jazz age are long gone and that the locals should simply resign themselves to the changes.
"To preserve the spirit here, one has to have a spirited mind," says Sonia Rykiel, whose fashion house has four boutiques in Saint-Germain. "Dior and Armani have that." Indeed, Dior has added a kitchenware section to its store, while Armani has included a café, a newspaper stand and a music corner in its megastore.
But many locals see these blend-in gestures as symbolic, rearguard actions in a battle that is already lost. "Things are changing, and there's nothing we can do to stop it," sighs Yvonne Leylavergne, as she finishes her espresso and prepares to walk home. Will her familiar café table be there tomorrow?
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May 22, 2000
COVER
The Amazing Vikings
They earned their brutal reputation — but the Norse were also craftsmen, explorers and believers in democracy
EUROPE
Ulster's Choice
The Unionists must decide if the I.R.A.'s arms offer is enough for a new try at self-government
I'm Melting, I'm Melting!
The biggest danger of a weak euro is that the current export-led growth spurt will persuade Euroland governments that they can keep postponing much-needed structural reforms
Promises, Promises
After four months of de facto rule and much talk of a new Russia, Vladimir Putin must now deliver
Warming Things Up
Austria's government hopes to end the E.U.'s ostracism of its officials
Human Rights Leave Chopper Deal in a Spin
A $4 billion sale to Turkey is at stake, but protesters insist the U.S. Administration keeps a promise
Last Words on the Left Bank
Paris' old bohemian quarter is under siege by boutiques and tourists
AFRICA
The Somalia Syndrome
A new book by a veteran journalist explores how earlier rescue missions to Africa went wrong
The Mantle of Mandela
With a hard act to follow, Thabo Mbeki has little room for error
BUSINESS
Initial Opportunities
Europe's small investors will be able to participate via the Web in the upside — and downside — of IPOs
Westwardly Mobile
Japan's NTT DoCoMo joins forces with Dutch telecom company KPN to expand across Europe
Tracking Down a Better Deal
Exchange traded funds will give Europeans more choices and lower fees
THE ARTS
English is the Lingua Franca in Cannes
The world's most famous film festival may keep Hollywood at bay, but French still comes second
DEPARTMENTS
Olympic Monitor
Techwatch
World Watch
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