Americans in Paris: A Literary Anthology

Rating:
Summary: Next Best Thing to Being There
Review: As I've noted at my literary weblog The Elegant Variation, where I've recommended this title, "Gopnik's at his best writing about Paris, and his opening essay and brief introductions set the stage perfectly for excerpts ranging from the letters of Ben Franklin and Abigail Adams to familiar passages from A Moveable Feast and The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas to James Baldwin and Langston Hughes offering African-American perspectives. Hart Crane's 22-word postcard is a highlight, as is A.J. Liebling's quote that "In France, accidents occur in the bedroom, not the kitchen." The Library of America project is one we laud, and we direct you to this fine volume, if only to recall a distant time when Le Monde could praise the "charm, his beautiful and great words" of an American president (Roosevelt). It's the next best thing to being there."

Rating:
Summary: A highly articulate literary composite portrait
Review: Compiled and edited by New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik, America In Paris: A Literary Anthology is a seminal celebration of statesmen, soldiers, student tourist, and sometimes even expatriates' experiences in the grand, romantic, and one-of-kind city of Paris. Excerpts from journals, letters, and stories spanning centuries from pre-colonial days down to the modern times offer a grand cohesive whole of Paris through American eyes, painting a captivating picture that shifts with subtle nuances and the march of years. An enchanting and highly articulate literary composite portrait, featuring writings from Benjamin Franklin, Abigail Adams, P. T. Barnum, William Faulkner, Jack Kerouac, and many more.