Small bookstores, old streets, ateliers and cosy restaurants: discovering Paris with
Simon Njami , writer, curator and novelist; co-founder and chief editor of Paris-based journal,
Revue Noir , he has published numerous essays on African contemporary art. When I ask him to tell us a little about his Paris, his face lights up. He can't believe it. There are still interviews in which it is a pleasure to talk. He's very relieved and doesn't want to waste time; he doesn't even wait for the first question.
"I should like to say straight away to those who arrive in Paris and have nothing to do, to walk the length and breadth of the
Père-Lachaise cemetery. Compared with the rest of the city, the people there are certainly calm. And then I would like to promote the places where I like to stay and eat best. The first is the "
Closerie des Lilas ", in the 14th arrondissement, the historical centre of the belle époque of
Montparnasse . Artists and writers used to meet there, starting from
Apollinaire , up to
Gide ,
Sartre and
Breton . The place is magnificent and the cuisine definitely noteworthy. The other is called "
Le Lion Indomptable ", in Rue de la Reunion. It's a Cameroon restaurant and the owner is a Bassa, like me. That's the name of our people in Cameroon. Ah, I can't not talk about my favourite bookshops. I spend a great deal of the time I am in Paris in them. The first is "
La Hune ", right in front of the church of
Saint Germain . I've been going there since I was little. The other one is next door to my home, and is called "
La Merle Moqueur ".
Why don't you tell us about your walks in Paris? The daytime ones, the ones at night...
Simon is thoughtful for a moment, and then seems certain of his reply: "I start off from Père-Lachaise and walk as far as the Bastille , then I turn into Boulevard Henri IV and reach the Quai de la Seine. Whether it's day or night, the view of Notre Dame from there is unique. In the daytime one can also stop and browse among the bookstalls - from my experience, I would recommend those between the Bastille and Saint Michel."
Well, Simon, to finish with, what about a little-known place, a corner of Paris that you love and go through often?
"Without a shadow of doubt, that's Rue Watt , in the 13th arrondissement. It's an underground street not far from the National Library and the Ateliers Frigos , one of the most seductive places that I've ever visited. Rue Watt is incredible and I'm certainly not the only one to have been seduced by it - Boris Vian wrote a beautiful song about it."
Simon Njami fishes around in his memory and begins to hum to himself...
"... J'étais avec Raymond, qui m'a dit mon colon, il faut que tu constates, qu'y a rien comme la rue Watt..."
About the article
Bio
Simon Njami is a writer of novels and essays, and co-founder in 1991 of
"Revue Noir". He was artistic director of the Rencontres de la
Photographie Africaine by Bamako and of the Africa Remix exhibition
(Pompidou, Hayward Gallery, Dusseldorf, Tokyo and Johannesburg). He is
Co-curator of the Africa Pavilion at the 2007 Biennale, Venice. His
latest book is "C'était Senghor" published by Fayard. He also supports
Lettera27 Foundation .
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