EDITH WHARTON IN PARIS 

                                                                                                                                                             The last thirty years of Edith Wharton’s larger-than-life life took place in France.  They were her most exciting and fruitful years, writing her finest work, frequenting a dazzling social and intellectual world, her mentor Henry James among them, and experiencing a torrid clandestine love affair.  In Paris she lived on the Rue de Varenne in the fashionable Faubourg Saint-Germain, in the 7^th Arrondissement, where the final scene of her most famous novel The Age of Innocence takes place. One day I would like to do a walking tour of Edith Wharton’s neighbourhood. It has a tremendously rich history of writers who lived in or frequented the district.  As one example, please take a look at my little piece about the friendship of Auguste Rodin and Rainer Maria Rilke, which originated in Richard Nahem’s lively I Prefer Paris blog, as did the Edith Wharton piece.  Here is the link to the Wharton story: 

http://www.ipreferparis.net/2014/03/david-burkes-writers-in-paris-edith-wharton-on-the-rue-de-varenne.html

Spring is here.

Time for this literary groundhog to crawl out of his hole and start doing walks.  Which is just what I'll do, beginning next week, on the day of the vernal equinox.

A few walks on requests will follow, and on Sunday April 20th I'll get going on my regular schedule for 2014.  This means a Writers in Paris Walk every Sunday morning and others on weekdays, upon request.  I'll have my schedule up on the web site shortly, but in the meantime please click on THE WALKS heading and see all the goodies I have to offer.  

Cheers to you all.

David 

luckyburke@gmail.com

Here is a story about a little-known and extraordinarily dramatic part of the life of my favorite writer, Samuel Beckett. It's about his work in the Resistance in Paris during the Nazi Occupation:   

http://www.ipreferparis.net/2013/10/david-burkes-writers-in-parissamuel-beckett-résistant.html

"Balzac in a Bag" is a piece I did for Richard Nahem's lively blog I PREFER PARIS, to which I contribute something every month.  It's about two extremely great artists of whose work I am in awe: Honoré de Balzac and Auguste Rodin.  I think you'll enjoy it.  

http://www.ipreferparis.net/2013/09/david-burkes-writers-in-paris-balzac-in-a-bag-.html

Francois Villon, bad boy of French literature extraordinaire

Here's one of the stars of my literary walk called "A Band of of Outsiders: Place de la Contrescarpe/Rue Mouffetard."  He's the oldest of my writers.  And I mean OLD!  This is a piece I wrote for Richard Nahem's excellent I Prefer Paris web site.  Enjoy!

http://www.ipreferparis.net/2013/06/david-burkes-writers-in-paris-the-original-bad-boy-of-french-literature-.html  .   :