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Les Deux Magots (French pronunciation:[ledømaɡo]) is a café and restaurant situated at 6, PlaceSaint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris'6th arrondissement, France.[1] It once had a reputation as the rendezvous of the literary and intellectual elite of the city. It is now a popular tourist destination. Its historical reputation is derived from the patronage ofSurrealist artists and intellectuals to the likes ofSimone de Beauvoir andJean-Paul Sartre, as well as young writers at the time, such asErnest Hemingway.[2] Other patrons includedAlbert Camus,Pablo Picasso,James Joyce,Bertolt Brecht,Julia Child and the American writersJames Baldwin,Chester Himes andRichard Wright.[3]
TheDeux Magots literary prize (Prix des Deux Magots) has been awarded to a French novel every year since 1933 at Les Deux Magots.
"Magot" literally means "stocky figurine from theFar East".[4] The name originally belonged to a fabric and novelty shop at nearby 23 Rue de Buci. The shop sold silk lingerie and took its name from a popular play of the moment (19th century) entitledLes Deux Magots de la Chine. Its two statues represent Chinese "mandarins", or "magicians" (or "alchemists"), who gaze out over the room. In 1873, the business moved to its current location in the PlaceSaint-Germain-des-Prés. In 1884, the business changed to a café andliquoriste, but kept the name.
Auguste Boulay bought the business in 1914, when it was on the brink of bankruptcy, for 400,000 francs. Auguste Boulay's son added glass walls to allow more light into the café. The statues have remained the same since the store opened (they were not replaced by copies).[5] A café Les Deux Magots opened inTokyo in 1989.[6]
Catherine Mathivat, great-great-granddaughter of Auguste Boulay, started to work in the café in 1993, and took over when her father died in 2012.[5] In 2016, the café led a study revealing that 60% of its clientele were international tourists. In 2017, Mathivat partnered with her cousin Jacques Vergnaud to redesign the café and reclaim its Parisian clientele.[7] In 2022, the Saint-Germain café alone made a revenue of 15 million euros.[6] In 2023, a café Les Deux Magots opened inRiyadh (Saudi Arabia)[6] and another one inTokyo. In December 2023, it opened a unit inSão Paulo. There are more plans to new units inCape Town,Prague,London andGuangzhou.
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