Publisher’s write-up:
‘The Paris of
popular imagination is lined with cobblestone streets and stylish cafés, a
beacon for fashionistas and well-heeled tourists. But French American
journalist Cole Stangler, celebrated for his reporting on Paris and French
politics, argues that the beating heart of the City of Light lies elsewhere –
in the striving, working-class districts, where residents are now being priced
out.
Paris Isn't
Dead Yet explores the past, present and future of the city through the lens of
class conflict, highlighting the outsized role of immigrants in shaping the
city's progressive, cosmopolitan and open-minded character – at a time when
politics nationwide can feel like they're shifting in the opposite direction.
This is the Paris many tourists too often miss: immigrant-heavy districts such
as the 18th arrondissement, where crowded street markets still define everyday
life. Stangler brings this view of the city to life, combining gripping,
street-level reportage, stories of today's working-class Parisians, recent
history and a sweeping analysis of the larger forces shaping the city.’
Paris is often romanticised
in the media as this beautiful city, with the picturesque cafés on its streets,
the monuments, the museums, ad a city with a rich history of supporting writers
and artists from all over the world, be it Picasso or Hemingway. However, the
author of this book – Paris isn’t Dead Yet, the journalist Cole Stangler
– talks about the rapid gentrification of the city, while there were always
elitist arrondissements of Paris like the 16th, the city is slowly
losing its working-class population and is being increasingly dominated by
white-collared elites all across.
The author
starts with the present day, explaining the most diverse Parisian
arrondissement – the 18th which has Montmartre, atop which you have
the iconic Basilica Sacré Coeur, along with some of the cafés most frequented
by the tourists; but at the same time, a ten minute walk down the hill to
Boulevard Ornano completely changes this picture – taking us towards Goutte d’Or
in the 18th, a neighbourhood predominantly inhabited by working
class consisting mostly of immigrants from West African nations in the Sahel.
However, the author goes on to describe the changing situation here, wherein,
they are being outpriced by the significant increases of rent in Paris, and
also other costs, being pushed to suburban towns like Saint-Denis and
Aubervilliers. A phrase that is often thrown around casually, is that ‘this
neighbourhood is not like in the past, it is good now’, by which, what is
often meant is that it has been gentrified – something often said about places
like Belleville in Paris.
The author also talks
about the history of the city, wherein, it was not uncommon for the rich and
the working-class to share the same building, just that the size of their
houses would be significantly different within the same building but that is
hardly the case anymore. The author also explains how this is making the city
lose its essential character of being a melting pot attracting people from all
walks of life, and especially how freelance and independent artists can no
longer afford the city unlike the era Picasso, James Joyce or Hemingway.
There are also
detailed interviews with individuals whom the author has interviewed, people
who had been living in a neighbourhood for decades eventually being priced out,
and social housing being unavailable: The author also has conducted interviews
with politicians within the city administration, and I found his conversations
with the city councillor for Communist Party of France (PCF) – Ian Brossat, to
be very interesting and insightful, especially on social housing.
That said, I
enjoyed the level of detail in this book. But it needs to be highlighted I enjoyed
it, and I could relate to it since I have been living in Paris for long enough,
and fully understand what he is talking about – including specific street names
that he brought up in the 18th. To be very precise, I myself am one
of the people who are causes of this gentrification, given I live in the 18th
arrondissement, the typical ‘white collar elite’ who is outpricing the original
residents of the neighbourhood. However, what I am unsure is to what extent
would people who are not familiar with the city would relate to it, given many
of the places the author talks about are ones that would never be visited by
tourists, be it Aubervilliers or Goutte d’Or.
If it is to
highlight the situation in Paris and saving it from hypergentrification, I am
not sure who the target audience of this book is, given that this is a book in
English (I am not sure if a French translation is being planned), and for any
work of non-fiction, it is reasonable to ask who is the target audience and I
was unclear on that with this book.
On the whole, I
had a great reading experience reading this book, sometimes was interesting to
see references to cafés I have visited myself being referenced in the book. This
was also insightful for me given I am living here and would like to have a say
on making sure that the city is still accessible to people from all walks of
life. On that note, I award the book a rating of seven on ten.
Rating – 7/10
Have a nice day,
Andy
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