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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
June 28 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include stupid wars, a critical media, and mask standards
-
Thai fish pie with crispy turmeric potatoes recipe
The Week Recommends Tasty twist on the Lancashire hot pot is given a golden glow
-
Palestine Action: protesters or terrorists?
Talking Point Damaging RAF equipment at Brize Norton blurs line between activism and sabotage, but proscription is a drastic step
-
Thai fish pie with crispy turmeric potatoes recipe
The Week Recommends Tasty twist on the Lancashire hot pot is given a golden glow
-
Feel the groove with these music-centric getaways across the globe
Let the rhythm move you
-
5 high-concept animated science fiction shows for grown-ups
The Week Recommends How filmmakers are using a different medium to bring visionary science fiction to life
-
Lovestuck: a 'warm-hearted' musical with a 'powerhouse score'
The Week Recommends Team behind the hit podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno have created a hilarious show about a disastrous viral Tinder date
-
Outrageous: glossy Mitford family drama is full of 'fun, fashion and froth'
The Week Recommends Adaptation of Mary Lovell's biography examines the scandalous lives of the aristocratic sisters
-
F1: The Movie – a fun but formulaic 'corporate tie-in'
Talking Point Brad Pitt stars as a washed up racing driver returning three decades after a near-fatal crash
-
Lost Boys: a 'sobering' journey to the heart of the manosphere
The Week Recommends James Bloodworth examines the 'cranks and hucksters' making money through 'masculine discontent'
-
6 productivity-ready homes with great offices
Feature Featuring an office with a gas fireplace in Oregon and a shared workspace with wraparound windows in Massachusetts