Wednesday 19 February 2014

Paris, Because Mavis Gallant Loved the City

The recent death of Mavis Gallant reminds me of how deeply seductive Paris is.  After Montreal, it is a place I'd like to live.

What a pleasure that we have Gallant's stories about the two cities to enjoy.  That is the legacy of writing, particularly when it crosses to line and becomes literature.


1 comment:

lagatta à montréal said...

I'd love to live in Paris, or at least do longer stays there (which I've already done, so I'm well aware of the downsides of that huge city, le snobisme parigot, overburdened, if wonderful, public transport etc. Unfortunately can't afford to on a freelancer's tenuous income - Gallant moved there after the war when rents and mortgages were much cheaper there than here.

A bit sad that it took Gallant's demise for her to take centre-stage in terms of Canadian writers of short fiction (in English) - not even mentioning "women" as most of the other major contenders whether in English or French also tend to be female. Alice Munro is a great writer, but Gallant often resonated with me more, simply because we are harcore urbanites.

It's a beautiful day! Out for either a walk or a cycle, depending on whether my bicycle is fit to use...