- Duration
- 1 hour
- Product Type
- Lecture
- Venues
-
- Sorbonne
- Le Procope Restaurant
Lecture Details
Photos & Highlights
- Presented by the same world-class experts as our walking tours, Context Lectures highlight must-see attractions, reveal hidden landmarks, and explore the best things to do during your trip so you don’t miss a thing.
Lecture Description
The history of Paris is the history of ideas. Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson came to the Latin Quarter's first coffee shop, Le Procope, to drink a strange new elixir, meet French revolutionaries, and imagine a new form of government. Two centuries after the guillotine was invented, Americans Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein arrived with wisdom from Asia in search of a chaotically simple idea: "make it new." Just a few years later, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, and Jean-Paul Sartre began questioning the very nature of existence on the sun-drenched terrace of the Café de Flore. This lecture combines history, literature, and intellectual history, and will discuss the story about the people and the ideas that define one of the world's most important neighborhoods.
Meet Your Expert
Samuél is a published novelist and musician who has lived in Paris since 2008. He holds an M.A. in European Society from University College London & an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Samuél teaches creative writing at the Sorbonne, hosts the Paris Writers' Salon with a local literary legend John Baxter, and is also a singer/songwriter. Samuél's first novel, "Slim and The Beast" (Inkshares, 2015) is a coming of age story set in North Carolina. His second novel, "The Requisitions" (Kingdom Anywhere, 2024) is a historical metafiction about history, memory, and the Nazi Occupation of Poland.
Many of us might know the names that define the Latin Quarter - Rousseau and Voltaire, Stein and Hemingway, Camus and Sartre. To recognize the names is not the same as to understand them. Focusing on three major intellectual movements that helped define modern civilization, the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, Modernism, and Existentialism, Samuél provides a practical approach to understanding these movements through the stories that make the Latin Quarter what it is today. From a controversial bathtub assassination to a flamboyant Nazi whose nickname was Dr. Jazz, you will leave this lecture with a better understanding of why the Latin Quarter has attracted so many artists and thinkers, and why it continues to inspire to this day.
How do I access the lecture?
Once you complete your purchase, you will receive an email with a link to stream the lecture on the Context Travel website. You can also access your past purchases anytime under My Orders. Please ensure you are logged into your account to open the streaming page.
Is closed captioning (i.e. subtitles) available?
Yes! All of our lectures have the option to turn on closed captioning should you have difficulty hearing the expert.
How long does each event last?
Our recorded lectures typically run for 60 minutes.
How can I share this lecture with friends or family?
You are welcome to watch together with friends or family but each person viewing on their own device will need to purchase the lecture individually.
How long does my access to the lecture last?
Once you purchase a lecture, you are welcome to view it as many times as you like and your access does not expire.
What is your cancellation and refund policy?
Sales for recorded lectures are final upon purchase. Please contact us at digital@contexttravel.com if you have any questions or concerns about your purchase.
Can I purchase a gift card for a friend who is traveling?
Absolutely! Gift cards can be purchased here. Gift cards are good for 365 days from the date of purchase.
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32 Reviews
Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.
It was so stimulating and interesting. I got goose bumps and went to the library to get one of the books Samuel recommended.
Jane
Jan 16, 2021
What a delightful afternoon with Samuel Lopez-Barrantes to be back in Paris to learn about a history that I was only somewhat aware of. I give this session and host five stars and will look forward to being in future lectures with Samuel Lopez-Barrantes
Jim
Jan 16, 2021
I expected a more in-depth discussion of Voltaire, Rousseau and Camus. This was a broad overview and I appreciate the leader’s overall knowledge, but I felt it presumed no prior knowledge of the thinkers and writers discussed. I hoped for more intellectual rigor. And I felt the long discussion of Hemingway was unfortunate and was not what I had expected from the seminar description. So overall I was disappointed.
Peg
Jan 15, 2021
