{"product_id":"9781408891711","title":"The Existential Englishman : Paris Among the Artists","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe Existential Englishman\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Michael Peppiatt\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA love letter to Paris and a memoir of a life spent at its bohemian heart, rich with adventures, misadventures and the beauty of one of the most enduringly romantic cities in the world\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Existential Englishman\u003c\/i\u003e is both a memoir and an intimate portrait of Paris ­– a city that can enchant, exhilarate and exasperate in equal measure. As Peppiatt remarks: 'You reflect and become the city just as the city reflects and becomes you'. This, then, is one man's not uncritical love letter to Paris.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntensely personal, candid and entertaining, \u003ci\u003eThe Existential Englishman\u003c\/i\u003e chronicles Peppiatt's relationship with Paris in a series of vignettes structured around the half-dozen addresses he called home as a plucky young art critic. Having survived the tumultuous riots of 1968, Peppiatt traces his precarious progress from junior editor to magazine publisher, recalling encounters with a host of figures at the heart of Parisian artistic life – from Sartre, Beckett and Cartier-Bresson to Serge Gainsbourg and Catherine Deneuve. Peppiatt also takes us into the secret places that fascinate him most in this ancient capital, where memories are etched into every magnificent palace and humble cobblestone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn the historic streets of Paris, where all life is on show and every human drama played out, Michael Peppiatt is the wittiest and wickedest of observers, capturing the essence of the city and its glittering cultural achievements.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“If you're interested in art, or writing, or Paris, it will ring bells in your head. \u003cb\u003eI loved it\u003c\/b\u003e” —\u003ci\u003eEvening Standard\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Peppiatt's account of his bohemian life in Paris is\u003cb\u003e full of colour, character and charm\u003c\/b\u003e ... Peppiatt has an aesthete's love of life, and there are vivid descriptions of food, drink and romance here that both \u003cb\u003eenrapture and inspire\u003c\/b\u003e. This enjoyable book works best as an account of a lifelong love affair with the Parisian streets ... \u003ci\u003eThe Existential Englishman\u003c\/i\u003e offers elegant proof that Michael \u003cb\u003ePeppiatt's powers of observation remain undimmed and acute\u003c\/b\u003e” —\u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Being an acute observer and friend of artists, [Peppiatt] shares with them a heightened sensitivity, which leads him to write evocatively about particular memories … \u003cb\u003eEvocative and beautiful prose\u003c\/b\u003e” —\u003ci\u003eLiterary Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“On the page, [Peppiatt] remains probably \u003cb\u003eone of the most eminent art writers of our time\u003c\/b\u003e; off it, to judge by the swirl of parties, interviews, and chance encounters that fill this memoir, he is \u003cb\u003ea gifted and indefatigable conversationalist\u003c\/b\u003e” —\u003ci\u003eSunday Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cb\u003eEngaging \u003c\/b\u003e... Peppiatt's passion for Paris, and his clear perception of its innumerable atmospheres … The personal story is sharpened by a judicious use of the present tense, but it is enhanced above all by a historical vision which enables Michael Peppiatt to paint the characters of several \u003ci\u003equartiers\u003c\/i\u003e with archaeological precision. \u003cb\u003eEven readers unacquainted with the city should be charmed by his portrait\u003c\/b\u003e” —\u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cb\u003eBrings [Paris] to life so vividly you can almost smell it \u003c\/b\u003e... Très drôle” —\u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“One of the best art books I have read, by turns atmospheric and waspishly gossipy but also profound and poignant” —\u003ci\u003ePraise for Francis Bacon in Your Blood, Michael Prodger, The Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This vivid new memoir by the artist's protégé is set to be a classic” —\u003ci\u003ePraise for Francis Bacon in Your Blood, Sunday Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The best art memoir published in years ... it is personal, subjective and sufficiently scurrilous” —\u003ci\u003ePraise for Francis Bacon in Your Blood, Spectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781408891711\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40706795503822,"sku":"9781408891711","price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_aabf6474-8d31-4ddf-80ce-3bd689f9197f.jpg?v=1643445395","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781408891711","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}