How to Take a Literary Trip Through Paris, France

If you weren't a writer before visiting Paris, you just might want to be one afterwards--few places inspire more literary activities, from sitting at a café table with a journal and a cigarette to wandering along the winding city streets contemplating the meaning of life. But literary Paris is so much more than this cliché--and it has been home to a staggering number of writers over the years, particularly ex-pat writers of the Lost Generation who found an artistic home in the City of Lights.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Brush up on your Hemingway. Though Hemingway is often associated with Spain, he also lived in Paris when he was just starting out as a young writer; and Paris was the subject of his wonderful memoir "A Moveable Feast." You can gaze up at where young Hemingway once put words to paper at 39 Rue Descartes.

2. Gaze at Gertrude Stein's former stomping grounds. Gertrude Stein, who, along with Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound and others made up the Lost Generation, hosted frequent literary salons in her apartment at 27 Rue de Fleurus, which she shared with her lover, Alice B. Toklas.

3. Prep yourself to tackle "Ulysses" by visiting James Joyce's former homes. Joyce lived in Paris for almost 20 years, and he lived in a variety of places including The Hotel Lenox at 19 Rue de l'Universite, The Hotel Lutetia at 45 Boulevard Raspail and the Victoria Palace Hotel at 6 Rue Blaise Desgoffe, among others.

4. Follow in Orwellian footsteps. George Orwell, who discussed his years abroad in his book "Down and Out in Paris and London," lived at 6 rue du Pot de Fer, not far from Hemingway.

5. Visit Shakespeare & Company. Though this isn't the original bookshop where the visionary Sylvia Beach first published "Ulysses" (that one was located at 12 Rue de l'Odeon), the new version is stuffed with English-language books, scruffy writer-types and literature lovers of all stripes. (37 Rue de la Bucherie)

6. Overdose on Paris-inspired literature while relaxing in the Luxembourg Gardens, one of Paris's most beautiful spots. Good choices include "Paris to the Moon" by Adam Gopnik, "Hand to Mouth" by Paul Auster and "Le Divorce" by Diane Johnson.

7. Take a walking tour. Paris Walks, a reputable walking tour group, gives tours in English on a variety of subjects, including Hemingway's Paris, most of which include copious information about writers and artists who lived and worked in the city.

8. Pay your respects at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. Many notable writers, including Balzac and Oscar Wilde, are buried here (along with other remarkable artists, musicians and historical figures). Put on your brightest lipstick and join the legions of people who have marked Wilde's gravestone with a kiss.

Resources

• Paris Walks Website