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
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.
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why are we watching the ocean floor?
Podcast Plus, what can we learn from a football club on the brink? And which jobs will fall to AI first?
-
Quiz of The Week: 2 – 8 August
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A volcano stirs, a deathly flower blooms, and more
-
Merryn Somerset Webb chooses five books on how the world works
The Week Recommends The financial columnist picks works by Peter Turchin, Adam Smith and Christopher Clark
-
6 sturdy post-and-beam homes
Feature Featuring a wood stove in New York and hand-hewn beams in New Hampshire
-
The Naked Gun: 'a dumb comedy of the expert kind'
The Week Recommends Liam Neeson shows off his comedy chops in this reboot of Leslie Nielsen's crime spoof
-
King of Kings: 'excellent' book examines Iran's 1979 revolution and its global impacts
The Week Recommends Scott Anderson 'easily and elegantly' paints a picture of a century of Iran's history
-
Go beyond the islands you already know in these 8 countries. Surprises await.
The Week Recommends These destinations fly under the radar
-
Music reviews: Tyler Childers and Madonna
Feature "Snipe Hunter" and "Veronica Electronica"
-
Art review: Noah Davis
Feature Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, through Aug. 31
-
The most fun road trips are the ones with the least curveballs. Use these tips to get there.
The Week Recommends The music blaring, the windows wide open and a carefree drive