For decades, the French capital has enchanted millions of visitors with the romantic charm of its streets. From the steep cobbled slopes of Montmartre to the Champs-Élysées, from the majestic halls of the Louvre to the breathtaking view from atop the Eiffel Tower, Paris is a city that everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime.
But beyond its grand monuments and famous landmarks, Paris also beckons you to wander quiet alleyways, stumble upon hidden squares, and savor the calm rhythm of life away from the crowds.
Often, these leisurely walks lead us to the banks of the Seine, where you might stumble upon one of the city’s most unusual attractions: a bookstore. Not just any bookstore, but one that has appeared in numerous films and holds a special place in the cultural memory of 20th-century Paris. This is the story of Shakespeare & Company.
A Bookstore Steeped in History
The first thing to know about Shakespeare and Company is that its current location—just across the small bridge that leads to the island housing Notre Dame Cathedral—has not always been its home.
In fact, the original bookstore was founded in 1919 on Rue de l’Odéon and remained there for over 20 years under Sylvia Beach’s care. Her name may not ring a bell, but it is enough to know that she was the first publisher of James Joyce’s monumental novel Ulysses, and that she hosted some of the most influential literary minds of her time in Paris: Hemingway, Samuel Beckett, and the French philosopher Lacan, to name a few.
In 1941, during the German occupation of Paris, Beach was arrested and spent six months in a concentration camp after refusing to sell a copy of a James Joyce novel to a Nazi officer.
When the bookstore eventually reopened, it had moved to its current location across from Notre Dame.
Shakespeare and Company’s reputation endured, continuing to draw curious visitors and aspiring writers alike. The upper floor of the current building even includes a few rooms where writers from around the world have stayed, helping out in the shop for a few hours in exchange for a place to sleep and write.
Inside, you’ll find dozens of wooden shelves lined with books, mostly in English and French. There are small reading nooks furnished with cozy armchairs, where visitors can sit beside a fireplace and dive into one of the many books on offer. That is, if you can find a quiet moment.
With hundreds—perhaps thousands—of visitors passing through each day, navigating the store can feel like shuffling through a never-ending stream of tourists. So how did a relatively small bookstore become a global literary landmark? The answer lies partly in cinema.
Shakespeare and Company on the Big Screen
The bookstore’s popularity in the second half of the 20th century turned it into a set for several unforgettable films.
One of the most iconic appearances is in Richard Linklater’s 2004 film Before Sunset, the second film in the Before trilogy, which follows the on-again, off-again romance between Jesse, a young American writer, and Celine, a French activist. At the beginning of the film, Jesse is presenting his book at Shakespeare and Company when he runs into Celine. It is the first time they’ve seen each other in a decade, and the moment is pure magic. Today, fans of the film flock to the bookstore to relive that scene.
It is not the only cinematic moment. Woody Allen also featured the bookstore in Midnight in Paris, his whimsical love letter to the City of Light.
Shakespeare and Company also appears in the third season of the television series Highlander, featuring prominently in one character’s storyline. The bookstore has been the subject of numerous documentaries and has served as a meaningful setting for many major 20th-century authors.
Though the current store differs from the one Sylvia Beach opened over a century ago, the spirit of Shakespeare and Company still lives within its walls and among its shelves.
It remains one of those special places worth visiting when in Paris, a haven where the love of literature is always in the air.
