48°51′15″N2°19′57.5″E / 48.85417°N 2.332639°E /48.85417; 2.332639
ThéCafé de Flore (French pronunciation:[kafed(ə)flɔʁ]) is one of the oldestcoffeehouses inParis, known for its emblematic shopfront and celebrated for its famous clientele, which in the past included influential writers, philosophers, and members of Parisian high society (tout-Paris). The café is located inSaint-Germain-des-Prés, a historic quarter on theleft bank of the Seine. It sits the corner ofBoulevard Saint-Germain and Rue Saint-Benoît, in the6th arrondissement.
The nearest underground station isSaint-Germain-des-Prés, served byline 4 ofParis Métro. While attracting numerous tourists due to its historic cachet,[1] the coffeehouse remains a popular hang-out spot for Parisians and celebrities alike.
The café appeared in the 1880s, during theThird Republic; however, the exact opening date remains unknown. The name is taken from a sculpture ofFlora, the goddess of flowers and the season of spring inRoman mythology, located on the opposite side of the boulevard. AuthorsJoris-Karl Huysmans andRemy de Gourmont were two of the first well-known regulars. In the late 19th century,Charles Maurras wrote his bookAu signe de Flore on the café's first floor, where in 1899 theRevue d'Action Française was also founded.[2]
The Café de Flore became a popular hub of famous writers and philosophers.Georges Bataille,Robert Desnos,Léon-Paul Fargue,Raymond Queneau were all regulars, as wasPablo Picasso.[3]Chinese PremierZhou Enlai was known to be a frequent patron of Café de Flore during his years in France in the 1920s.[4] The classicArt Deco interior of all red seating, mahogany and mirrors has changed little sinceWorld War II.
Like its nearby rival,Les Deux Magots, Café de Flore was frequented by numerous French intellectuals during the post-war years. In his essay "A Tale of Two Cafes" and his bookParis to the Moon, American writerAdam Gopnik mused over the possible explanations of why the Flore had become, by the late 1990s, much more fashionable and popular than Les Deux Magots, despite the fact that the latter café was associated withJean-Paul Sartre,Simone de Beauvoir,Albert Camus, and other famous thinkers of the 1940s and 1950s.
A Romanian thinkers league also frequented the place, notablyEmil Cioran,Eugene Ionesco and essayistBenjamin Fondane.[5]
ThePrix de Flore, a literary prize inaugurated byFrédéric Beigbeder in 1994, is awarded annually at the Café de Flore.
Called 'Café de Flore,' after the famous student and intellectual hangout – a dress and jacket with a young, offhand charm. Grey wool flannel, slightly ballooned skirt; set-in turtle neck and watch cap of knitted wool.
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