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.
Subscribe to 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
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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Following the Tea Horse Road in China
The Week Recommends This network of roads and trails served as vital trading routes
By The Week UK Published
-
Roast lamb shoulder with ginger and fresh turmeric recipe
The Week Recommends Succulent and tender and falls off the bone with ease
By The Week UK Published
-
Adolescence and the toxic online world: what's the solution?
Talking Point The hit Netflix show is a window into the manosphere, red pills and incels
By The Week Staff Published
-
6 welcoming recipes for cooking and baking during your spring days
The Week Recommends You want it flavorful, and you want it exciting
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Snow White: Disney's 'earnest effort to meet an impossible brief'
Talking Point Live-action remake of Disney classic is not the disaster it could have been – but where's the personality?
By The Week UK Published
-
Don McCullin picks his favourite books
The Week Recommends The photojournalist shares works by Daniel Defoe, Lesley Blanch and Roland Philipps
By The Week UK Published
-
6 breathtaking homes in capital cities
Feature Featuring a glass conservatory in Atlanta and a loft library in Boston
By The Week US Published
-
Spring's best new cookbooks, from pizza to pastries
The Week Recommends Pizza, an array of brownies and Cantonese-American mash-ups are on the menu
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published