Paris in July, 2025 - Stefan Zweig on being in Paris/Meme

Thank you to Emma @ Words and Peace who is hosting this event this year as well. We are already guided into the various themes of this year. Head over to Emma's website for more information.

Stefan Zweig in Paris

Stefan Zweig spent time in Paris during the 1920s and 1930s, immersing himself in its vibrant literary and artistic scene. There, he met prominent figures such as Auguste Rodin, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Romain Rolland. Zweig was deeply impressed by Rodin, particularly by the intense focus and dedication he brought to his art.

In 1940, Zweig witnessed the fall of Paris—an event that profoundly affected him. He felt a deep connection to the city, its cultural legacy, and its symbolic significance for Europe. The German occupation, combined with his despair over the future of the continent, contributed to his decision to leave Europe. He eventually settled in Brazil, where, in 1942, he and his wife Lotte took their own lives.

Zweig’s autobiography, The World of Yesterday, offers a poignant and moving account of his life and the Europe he once knew. It reflects not only on his time in Paris but also on the broader cultural collapse he experienced. The book stands as a testament to a lost world—one that, even today, resonates with striking relevance.

I read Zweig's eminent reflection on The World of Yesterday last year, and I found a few quotes from his visits to Paris, a city he loved, which I would like to share with you.

"To love Paris properly, you ought really to have known Berlin first, experiencing the natural servility of Germany with its rigit class differences, painfully clearly delineated, in which the officer's wife did not talk to the teacher's wife, who in turn did not speak to the merchant's lady, who herself did not mix with the labourer's wife. In Paris, however, the inheritance of the Revolution was still alive and coursing through the people's veins; the proletarian worker felt himself as much of a free citizen as his employer, a man with equal rights; the café waiter shook hands in a comradely manner with the general in his gold-laced uniform; the industrious, respectable, neat and clean wives of the lower middle classes did not look down their noses at prostitutes who happened to live on the same floor in their building, but passed the time of day with them on the stairs, and their children gave the girls flowers."

Unfortunately, I did not visit Berlin first, but I hope to do that next year. I am looking forward to immerse myself in the history and present day events in this city.

"The Latin Quarter no longer enticed me. On an earlier brief visit, when I was twenty, I had gone straight there from the railway station, and on my very first evening I had sat in the Café Vachette, getting them to show me, with all due reverence, the place where Verlaine used to sit and the marble-topped table on which, when he was tipsy, he used to bang angrily with his heavy stick to get a respectful hearing."

Café Vachette does no longer exit. I found a photograph from Roger Viollet Gallerie from around 1910. It can be bought if someone is interested. It looks like a traditional café at the time. Such a pity it does not exist anymore. I took the help of ChatGPT to find out more about the café.

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Historical Overview

Originally founded during the First French Empire as the Café des Grands Hommes, it later became known as Café Vachette. Situated at numbers cited variously as 27 or even 37 boulevard Saint‑Michel—historical sources pinpoint it as a fixture on the Latin Quarter’s literary map.

A Literary Haven

From around 1880 onward, the café emerged as a center of the Parisian bohème littéraire. Regular patrons included writers and poets such as Paul Verlaine, Pierre Louÿs, Maurice Barrès, Guy de Maupassant, and most prominently Jean Moréas, who spent most evenings there.

Intellectual Atmosphere

In contrast to the more hedonistic cafés of the Latin Quarter, Café Vachette was known for its scholarly atmosphere. It survived until Moréas’s death in 1911 and was praised as a model of intellectual circumspection, “leaning more to scholarship than sensuality.”

Ownership & Cultural Role

The establishment was part of Joseph Vachette’s café empire, later managed by chef-restaurateur Paul Brébant in the mid-19th century. Brébant expanded the business significantly, and the café became widely known as a hub for bohemian dining and late-night socializing.

His son, Eugène Vachette (pen name Eugène Chavette), became a notable writer. His literary career and frequent connection to the café reflect the continuity between its gastronomic and intellectual life.

Cultural Legacy

Many Symbolist and Parnassian writers argued there, read their poems, and held vibrant conversations here. As Carco recalled, Moréas addressed young aspirants urging them to “Base yourselves firmly on principles... They will certainly end up giving way!”

Local antiquarians remembered the Vachette as a café of restraint, standing apart from those given to late-night revelry or less reputable entertainments.

Present Day

Today, no café exists at the original address. A visit to 27 boulevard Saint‑Michel reveals a modern street frontage, with a bank, clothing boutique, and Joseph Gibert bookstore—no trace of Café Vachette remains.

Why It Mattered

Café Vachette represented more than just a place to dine—it was a melting pot of literary ambition, intellectual dialogue, and artistic ferment. Famed writers gathered around its tables, testing their ideas. It stood as a symbol of how cafés in Paris served as incubators of culture and conversation, especially in the vibrant milieu of the Latin Quarter.

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If it had still existed it would probably serve as a hub for tourists as does Les Deux Magots, Café de Flore and Brasserie Lipp today. I have not heard about this café anywhere else. What about you? Have you read about it somewhere, or it popped up in connection with literary achievements?