To discover the lair of a great author is to immerse yourself in his writing and his universe. From Sénart to Médan, these houses still standing also tell the story of how the landscapes of Greater Paris have been a source of inspiration over the centuries.
In Yvelines, in the literary sanctuary of Louis Aragon and Elsa Triolet
It was their “little corner of France”, not so far from the city of Paris that they loved so much. A mill that the poet and novelist Louis Aragon offered to his wife Elsa Triolet, in 1951, in Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines, located in the south of the department. A way to root this writer who was of Russian origin. The Villeneuve mill becomes a place of inspiration and writing for this couple of committed and resistant writers of contemporary literature.
Vestiges of the milling activity still remain in Villeneuve, such as the wheel cage in the heart of the large living room. The couple’s favorite objects and the works of artist friends who came to stay at the mill have remained intact, giving a unique atmosphere to this place. In the apartments, everyone had their own desk for writing. A visit to the magnificent six-hectare park, with its permanent collection of sculptures, is also worth the detour. A place of memory with the tomb of the two authors, the mill is also a research center, with a library of more than 30,000 volumes and support for contemporary creation.
In Paris, in the lair of Jacques Prévert
It is an apartment and not a house, or more precisely an office-workshop in which Jacques Prévert, resistant to the idea of becoming sedentary, had nevertheless decided to settle down with his wife and his daughter in 1955. Until then living in furnished apartments, hotels and in transit between Paris, Saint-Paul-de-Vence or Antibes, the nomadic poet settled for twenty years at 6 bis, cite Véron, a paved dead end on the edge from Boulevard de Clichy.
In this apartment, located on 3e floor, where the poet’s desk and chair still sit, the soul of Prévert is there. We can barely imagine him leaving yesterday, finishing a discussion with his next-door neighbor and great friend Boris Vian, his dog Ergé at his feet. The friends had also nicknamed the terrace they shared that “of the Three Satraps” overlooking the roofs and wings of the Moulin Rouge. In 1975, Prévert moved to Omonville-la-Petite, in Cotentin, where he lived until his death in 1977. However, he had not abandoned the Véron city. Today, the preserved apartment houses the management center for Prévert’s work and heritage.
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