Permanent Parisians: An Illustrated Guide to the Cemeteries of Paris - Tapa blanda

"There is little depressing about French cemeteries. Although the three or four hundred cats of Père Lachaise lie low during the day, its passages are alive with gatekeepers, picnickers, and tourists looking for famous names. Such names are around every corner. Here is Chopin, there Gertrude Stein. Among those buried in Père Lachaise alone are Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde, Sarah Bernhardt, Isadora Duncan, Auguste Comte, Georges Seurat, Edith Piaf, and Héloïse and Abélard."

Permantent Parisians provides a guided tour through the cemeteries of Paris, with lively biographical discussions and photographs of the beautifully decadent sculptures and statuary to be found on each itinerary. Lest you think such sights morbid, consider these words by Balzac: "I seldom go out, but when I feel myself flagging I go and cheer myself up in Père Lachaise ... while seeking out the dead, I see nothing but the living." --Jhana Bach

Parisian cemeteries are a major tourist attraction. Most guide books to Paris mention to the cemeteries of Pere Lachaise, Montmartre, and, of course, Napoleon's tomb at Les Invalides. Here each cemetery is given a chapter, save for Pere Lachaise, which has four chapters. The graves of the prominent, famous, and infamous are noted with a brief sketch of each person's life. Photographs are abundant and maps are clearly drawn. A compendium of little-known facts about people, this unique guide is as much fun to browse as the graveyards themselves. This is the first in a series (New York City is next). Highly recommended. Paula M. Zieselman, Sarah Lawrence Coll. Lib., Bronxville, N.Y.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.