The Belly of Paris
by Emile Zola, translated by Mark Kurlansky
Recommendations from our site
“The book is really about the modernisation of the market and Paris, and French bourgeois society. It’s a study of the contrast of this individual who finds himself alienated from this rich, brilliant, new society. It is wonderfully described and even though much of that Paris has disappeared some of it is still around. The Belly of Paris is a wonderful book of imaginary history if you are at all interested in the creation of ‘modern Paris,’ meaning the city born in the mid-19th century.” Read more...
David Downie, Travel Writer
