Patrick Bishop picks his five favourite books
The acclaimed historian chooses works by Ernest Hemingway, Richard Cobb and more
The bestselling historian’s latest book, "Paris ’44: The Shame and the Glory", comes out this week. Here he describes his five favourite books about the City of Light.
A Moveable Feast
Ernest Hemingway, 1964
Hemingway loved Paris and was there to witness the liberation. By then his youthful innocence was long gone and the decline into boorishness and self-parody well advanced. He redeemed himself with this memoir of his Parisian salad days, written just before his suicide. It’s touching, beautifully observed and a reminder of his great gifts.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Available on The Week Bookshop
Slightly Out of Focus
Robert Capa, 1947
Also present at the liberation was the legendary war photographer, who described his return to the city where he "learnt to eat, drink and love" in this autobiography. Capa was fun, stylish and greedy for life but had a streak of melancholy. The city was a perfect fit for him and the nearest thing to home.
Paris and Elsewhere
Richard Cobb, 1998
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Cobb looked inescapably English but could speak and think like a working-class Parisian titi. This collection of his writings conjures up the spirit of the place, driven by his conviction that the poor are as interesting as the rich and powerful.
The Occupation Trilogy
Patrick Modiano, 1968-1972
This brings together the 2014 Nobel Prize winner’s early novels set in wartime France. Modiano’s dreamy, disturbing prose is a brilliant medium for exploring the moral complexities of living with the enemy. His work is inspired by his own family history and informed by a deep fascination with Paris.
Available on The Week Bookshop
Suite Française
Irène Némirovsky, 2004
A fragment of what would surely have been one of the great literary achievements of the 20th century. Némirovsky was murdered in Auschwitz with only two of the planned five books completed. What remains conveys with enormous power the dread, chaos and betrayals of France in its darkest hours.
-
6 well-crafted log homesFeature Featuring a floor-to-ceiling rock fireplace in Montana and a Tulikivi stove in New York
-
Dry skin, begone! 8 products to keep your skin supple while traveling.The Week Recommends Say goodbye to dry and hello to hydration
-
Film reviews: A House of Dynamite, After the Hunt, and It Was Just an AccidentFeature A nuclear missile bears down on a U.S. city, a sexual misconduct allegation rocks an elite university campus, and a victim of government terror pursues vengeance
-
Book reviews: ‘Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife’ and ‘Make Me Commissioner: I Know What’s Wrong With Baseball and How to Fix It’Feature Gertrude Stein’s untold story and Jane Leavy’s playbook on how to save baseball
-
Rachel Ruysch: Nature Into ArtFeature Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, through Dec. 7
-
Music reviews: Olivia Dean, Madi Diaz, and Hannah FrancesFeature “The Art of Loving,” “Fatal Optimist,” and “Nested in Tangles”
-
Gilbert King’s 6 favorite books about the search for justiceFeature The journalist recommends works by Bryan Stevenson, David Grann, and more
-
5 of the best kid-friendly scary moviesThe Week Recommends Hardcore horror is for grown-ups only, but light scares can be startling fun for the whole family


