Paris: A City of Political and Artistic Sanctuary

James Joyce wasn't the first Irish author to escape to Paris, instead he was among a few notable authors including Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett. Upon visiting Paris, I was in awe of the city rich in art, history and beauty. The pull of la cite de lumiere was apparent upon these authors. Paris and other old, European cities relish in their history, and Joyce once said "The Irish are the most belated race in Europe." Perhaps that related to the point that the Irish don't have as much of their own self-created history because of British oppression.

Samuel Beckett is one of the top 5 most-written about people in history, which is why his universal plays, most notably Waiting for Godot and Endgame are well known throughout the world. He was a playwright, a poet and an author who wrote in French and then translated his works into English. Beckett's name popped up in the metro station [see photo below] and I thought of him as I sipped tea at a cafe people-watching out the window. If you read Waiting for Godot, reviewed by Vivian Mercier as, "A play where nothing happens...twice," then you will get a sense of Beckett's sarcastic, narcissistic, dark sense of humour - common throughout Anglo-Irish literature, and a notable Irish characteristic (likely a side effect of 700 years of oppression). Beckett is buried in a cemetary in the Montparnasse area of Paris, which I visited but was unable to make it to his grave site.


Although Oscar Wilde spent most of his time in London, he also escaped to Paris. The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of Wilde's most noted worked, and is based in London (NOT Dublin, a common misconception).

Finally, Joyce was also found in my short stay in Paris when I came across the famous bookstore Shakespeare and Company. This bookstore is imporant because they were the first to publish Joyce's novel Ulysses. I, myself, bought a book to commemorate my visit which is often done by tourists. You get a stamp from the store on whatever title you choose to buy (I chose my favorite Shakespeare play, Julius Caesar as it seemed appropriate).



Since you now understand the importance of Paris as an artistic sanctuary of Irish authors and its connection to Ireland you should add Paris to your list of European cities to visit!