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Our "Tentatives d'Epuisement des Lieux Parisiens"
A la Perec. In his novel Tentative d'épuisement d'un lieu Parisien published in 1975, French-born writer Georges Perec (1936-1982) does just what the titles implies: he attempts to describe everything he notices from his seat in a coffee shop at the Place Saint-Sulpice in Paris. Things and events, he says, which no one would otherwise bother writing about. Thus, he notes the numbers on the passing buses, how full they are, the postal office across the street, the cars parked in front of the coffee shop, or the passersby, all unsuspecting heroes in a story in progress. The result: a story in real time so authentic, so common, the reader truly feels he or she is sitting with Mr. Perec, sipping black coffee, while he writes.
Il y a beaucoup de choses place Saint-Sulpice, par exemple : une mairie, un hôtel des finances, un commissariat de police, trois cafés dont un fait tabac, un cinéma, une église à laquelle ont travaillé Le Vau, Gittard, Oppenord, Servandoni et Chalgrin et qui est dédiée à un aumônier de Clotaire II qui fut évêque de Bourges de 624 à 644 et que l'on fête le 17 janvier, un éditeur, une entreprise de pompes funèbres, une agence de voyages, un arrêt d'autobus, un tailleur, un hôtel, une fontaine que décorent les statues des quatre grands orateurs chrétiens (Bossuet, Fénelon, Fléchier et Massillon), un kiosque à journaux, un marchand d'objets de piété, un parking, un institut de beauté, et bien d'autres choses encore. We found such a method of writing fascinating. So, while in Paris, we were challenged to attempt the same Tentative on our own, and to write à la Perec. Each of us, armed with a journal and pen, marched to a chosen spot, where we proceeded to create our own work of art. Of all lessons, we first realized that writing about ordinary things and events is much harder than one would think. Nevertheless, we managed to come up with a few sentences describing the happenings immediately around us. Following are our own interpretations of lieux parisiens in the Perec style. Compare for yourself and see how we fared on this challenge! Selected excerpts from the participants' journals: Alexis - Carrie - Jenny - Punya - Rossana
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