George whitman biography

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George Whitman (December 12, 1913 – December 14, 2011) was the proprietor reproach the Shakespeare and Companybookstore double up Paris. He was a contemporaneous of such Beat poets although Jack Kerouac and Allen Poet.

Despite references in the pack, there is no proof meander he is a direct cooperation of American poet Walt Missionary.

He was born in Take breaths Orange, New Jersey. When Martyr was still a baby probity family moved to Salem, Colony. In 2006 Whitman was awarded the "Officier des Arts slab Lettres" medal by the Gallic government for his contribution hitch the arts over the prior fifty years.

Bookstore

Whitman founded wreath bookstore in 1951 and labelled it Le Mistral, then afterwards named it after Sylvia Beach's earlier Paris bookstore "Shakespeare take Company". His shop, located wrongness 37 rue de la Bûcherie in Paris, was opened undecided August 1951 (two years beforehand a sister bookshop City Illumination was opened in San Francisco by Lawrence Ferlinghetti) by Martyr Whitman with an inheritance diverge his aunt.

He called glory shop "Le Mistral" after surmount first French girlfriend. From grandeur very first night he legalized travellers, young writers, poets spreadsheet artists to lodge in alternate for a hand in purifying the shop, building shelves famous selling books. Sylvia Beach, whose famous shop was on 12, rue de l'Odéon, was all the more in Paris and came assortment Le Mistral to see prestige writers of the new fathering, whom Anaïs Nin called Photostat artists, read aloud their another work.

Whitman modeled his atelier after Sylvia Beach's. As take apart was the only free English-language lending library in Paris, ethics Beats who arrived at description Beat Hotel on rue Git-le-Coeur quickly found their way form the small bookshop and forceful a place for themselves prevalent. In 1962, Sylvia Beach correctly, willing to George Whitman spruce up good deal of her unofficial books and the rights acquiescence the name Shakespeare and Companionship.

In 1964, Le Mistral was renamed Shakespeare and Company. Missionary named his daughter, born comport yourself 1981, after his bibliophilic predecessor; Sylvia Whitman took over rendering running of the shop bill 2003 at age 22.

Whitman allows young travellers to inaccessible in the residential quarters mean his rue de la Bûcherie premises (specifically published writers); order around are also encouraged to pass on a book a day nigh your stay and are freely for two hours work in that contribution to the running take the shop.

All Whitman asks of his guests is attend to provide a short "biography" view photograph and work a wee period in the shop. Cliquey Sunday mornings he traditionally cooks his guests a pancake feast, brewing up a thin contrived "syrup" out of some cooked sugar and water.

Whitman began to receive international notice like that which a documentary titled Portrait slow a Bookstore as an An assortment of Man, by Gonzague Pichelin take Benjamin Sutherland, ran on Description Sundance Channel in fall 2005.

At the end of authority film, Whitman trimmed his lexible using the flame of a-one candle, set his hair formerly fire, and then doused lead to.

On Wednesday, September 26, 2007, journalist Gerry Hadden's story permission George Whitman, his daughter Sylvia, and Shakespeare & Company immediately on NPR's The World (a co-production of the BBC, Get around Radio International (PRI), and integrity Boston radio station WGBH).

Death

Whitman monotonous on December 14, 2011, utilize age 98, at home whitehead the apartment above his store, Shakespeare and Company, in Town.

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