| Café Voltaire | |
|---|---|
 Café Voltaire | |
 Interactive map of Café Voltaire | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Location | Place de l'Odéon,Paris,France |
Café Voltaire, named after the writer and philosopherVoltaire, was a formercafé andrestaurant located on thePlace de l'Odéon in the6th arrondissement ofParis, France.
The café was open from the early 19th century until the middle of the 20th century. It served as a gathering place for artists and students. The site is currently the headquarters of the literature department of the publishing houseGroupe Flammarion (Flammarion Editions).[1]
Around 1790–1794, historical records show that a Café Voltaire existed in Paris. That café was located[clarification needed] on the right bank of the Seine River, in Cours Saint-Martin, near thegate that bears the same name.
The left-bank establishment was located[clarification needed] next to the former house ofLucile andCamille Desmoulins who, according toG. Lenotre, lived on the first floor at the time of their arrest for counter-revolutionary conspiracy in 1793. ThePlace de l'Odéon became the Rue de Voltaire, which later became Rue Casimir-Delavigne in 1864. After the fall of theFirst Empire, as theParis Commercial Directory indicates, the establishment took the name Café Voltaire, and was run by a manager named Gache, at least until 1826.
Eugène Delacroix had lunch at the café in May 1824, as indicated by an entry in hisJournal.[2] In the year 1837, Café Voltaire was described inBalzac's philosophical studyLes Martyrs ignorés.[3] At that time, the district also featured Café Racine (now Bouillon Racine) and Café Molière (near Café Procope).Sorbonne students met in all three establishments.
Charles Philipon illustrated scenes of the Café Voltaire around 1842 in hisMuseum orcomic store. The café had a terrace, a mezzanine, two upper floors, a billiard table, the quality of whichVictor Hugo praises inLes Misérables,[4] and celebrated events by "serving the punch". Before 1850, the place was run by a manager named Ronquier, and the theatre opposite gave rise to heated discussions between critics. In 1855, the reading room ofMadame Grassot, a former actress, was annexed by the café and transformed into a new room. At the end of theSecond Empire,Léon Gambetta andJules Vallès were regulars there.
Around 1880, Café Voltaire was frequented by senators living nearby, as well as political and literary personalities:Verlaine left debts there, whileAndré Gide,Jean Moréas,Anatole France,Alfred Vallette, andRachilde were frequent customers. Subsequently, theSymbolist poets took up residence at the café,Gauguin alongsideStéphane Mallarmé, who wore "a Basque beret, an unspeakable mac-farlane and sculpted clogs". The Paris chapter of theFélibriges also met there. In 1894, meetings were held at Café Voltaire by a student committee preparing the procession of the Mi-Carême (mid-Lent) cavalcade in theParis Carnival.
In the 1920s, the café was frequented by Americans of theLost Generation.[citation needed]
The café was sold again in 1956, to Groupe Flammarion (Flammarion Editions). APanel Histoire de Paris pays homage to the Café Voltaire.[citation needed]
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