Address Book of Imaginary Literary Characters

Since his youth, when he discovered that one of the hideouts of the famous gentleman-thief Arsène Lupin was not far from his home, Didier Blond has become addicted to writing down the addresses of characters from the novels he has read and mapping them onto Paris.

Thus, over time, Didier Blond created a kind of guide to the illusory Paris. Thanks to this amazing reference book, fiction and reality, pages and streets blend together, and the reader can endlessly travel through literary Paris, visiting the heroes of Balzac and Hugo, Dumas and Modiano, while learning many curious things about the history of the city and encountering incredible coincidences.

This book can be read continuously, starting with a graceful introductory essay, or you can choose your favorite characters or, with the help of the attached indexes, wander through the neighborhoods and streets of Paris as if through the pages of a book.

Didier Blond (b. 1953) is a French writer, author of novels, short story collections, essays, and a laureate of prestigious literary awards.

"I walk through the city as if through a library, the names of characters on plans of the city from different times sketch a map of a parallel world populated by ghosts. When the hunt comes, I will know where to find Edmond Dantès (Champs-Élysées, house 30), Jean Valjean (Armed Man Street, house 7), Benjamin Malossene (Folly-Reynard Street, 78). Should I wish, I can have lunch at the same table with Eugène de Rastignac at "Rocher de Cancale" on Montorgueil Street or drop in at the salon on Montalivet Street and marvel at the "Bove" sofa with a pattern of grape leaves alongside Charles Swann - of course, if the Verdurenes haven’t yet moved to the Quai Conti."

Didier Blond