Caroline Weber launched an awesome opening paragraph in her review of “Paris: The Secret History” in today’s New York Times Book Review:
“Years ago, while strolling through a Parisian flower market, I was accosted by a man with a posy in his hands and a poem on his lips. “Here are some fruits, some flowers, some leaves and some branches,” he declaimed, quoting the poet Paul Verlaine, “And here is my heart, which beats only for you.” At which the stranger dropped his bouquet, unzipped his pants and presented me with an organ quite different from his heart. In Paris, I reflected as I hurried away, the boundary between lyricism and squalor is as fragile as a rosebud, and as permeable as a man’s fly.”
Nice. I’ve also added Andrew Hussey’s “Paris” to my reading list. Sounds like a fascinating book …