NONFICTION

Inside a Pearl: My Years in Paris

by Edmund White
Bloomsbury USA. Feb. 2014. 272p. ISBN 9781608195824. $26; ebk. ISBN 9781620406328. LIT
COPY ISBN
As a major destination for artists and writers over the years, Paris never ceases to capture the imagination. White (Princeton Univ.; A Boy's Own Story; Genet: A Biography; Marcel Proust: A Life) follows in this vein, presenting the City of Light as a serene haven in sharp contrast to the bustling New York City, where he previously resided. In Paris, he managed to learn the French language as well as master the culture with the help of his friend Marie-Claude de Brunhoff, the one person constant in his peripatetic social life. Leaving New York in 1983 at the height of the AIDS epidemic, White recounts the sad stories of his many gay friends and lovers claimed by the disease.
VERDICT This book succeeds as a gossipy and enlightening account of living as a gay man among the French intelligentsia, although it is marred by excessive celebrity name dropping. White's skillful writing rescues the book from being just another account of an American in Paris. Of particular interest is the penetrating look at how the French view themselves as the cultural elite of the world. Recommended for memoir enthusiasts and lovers of Paris. [See Prepub Alert, 8/5/13.]
Reviewed by Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo , Jan 01, 2014
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

REFERENCE

Critical Insights: Power & Corruption
REFERENCE

Current Biography Yearbook 2023
REFERENCE

Occupational Safety and Health Law Handbook
NONFICTION

Birds Aren’t Real: The True Story of Mass Avian Murder and the Largest Surveillance Campaign in US History
by McIndoe, Peter & Connor Gaydos
MEDIA

A Year of Last Things: Poems
by Ondaatje, Michael
MEDIA

Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe
by Safina, Carl
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?