A friend called me "reclusive" recently (I'm writing my thesis!), but I did make it out Wednesday night to the book swap party at Le Carmen** – a new literary event in Paris where you bring a book to exchange with a stranger.
I liked the idea of walking up to unknowns at a party and saying “Whatcha got?” referring to the books in their hand. But I could quickly see was that most people 1. loved their books and conveyed to you that they didn’t actually want to trade, regardless of what you were holding, 2. felt so so about their books but thought they would have value on the market (but people are so particular about their taste, especially at a literary party, so they can’t help belying how they really feel in the pitch).*
Except for one young woman. She pitched me Marcel Pagnol’s Le Chateau de ma mère. Not only did she love the book, but she is from the south of France and felt very “attachée” and “touchée” by the book’s regionalism. Her eyes shined. I said “Oh, I don’t really feel like taking a book that’s about hunting.” (She hold told me there was a bit of "la chasse" in it and mimed firing a gun.) After a certain point the party became about coming up with plausible rejections. I myself had recently been rejected by a girl who had Love in the Time of Cholera (clearly didn’t want to part with it) with a smooth “Oh, your story is about love? I don’t feel like reading another love story.”
Maybe I rejected the Pagnol girl partly because it is easy to reject someone after your own book has just been rejected. Maybe I wasn’t dying to read her Pagnol. Maybe my mind was dulled by the heat and drink, the hipsters hemming me in on all sides. But she loved her book and was willing to give it to me. She told me how wonderful it was with shining eyes. I broke the exchange.
All day yesterday I felt guilty about the girl with her Pagnol!
* I avoided the issue in a way. I was giving away something that I loved but that was superfluous: I had another copy at home. It was Oulipian writer Hervé Le Tellier’s Enough About Love (recently translated into English).
Thanks for making me aware of the book swap. I hope they will have it on the last Wednesday in December when I am in Paris.
Posted by: Jeff Schraeder | 28 May 2011 at 09:08 PM
Well done travel site-very interesting/informative..
Travel Safe- WORLD TRAVEL UPDATES-FOREIGN TRAVEL GUIDE:
http://www.travelaskthelocals.yolasite.com
(Feel free to post on our forum)
Posted by: Dburlison | 16 August 2011 at 09:24 PM
Nice article, thanks for the information. http://rentalmobil911.webs.com
Posted by: Account Deleted | 19 August 2011 at 10:01 AM
http://www.highheeled-shoes.com
High heels shoes design depends on the individual preferences, so can choose their favorite style. But a pair of high heels "heel" and "bottom", I think is no compromise, must have perfect key position, because that is the key to comfort of influence to walk.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 21 September 2011 at 04:27 AM
I have been wanting to go to this for quite some time but it was the rejection that shys me away. What if my book isn't cool enough? What if NO ONE wants to trade my humble offering? Having lived in Olympia, Silver Lake, Williamsburg and Oberkampf, I know first hand that hipster rejection hurts! LOL!
But I love Le Carmen! Maybe I'll muster up the courage to go to the next one. Thanks for the post!
Posted by: Ellacoquine | 08 October 2011 at 12:06 PM
very happy to read your blog.Thank you for sharing this article.It is great!
Thanks for sharing this nice post.I will keep your article in my idea.http://www.tradekeyjerseys.com
Posted by: E Cig | 12 October 2011 at 10:19 AM