5 restaurants with a special connection to the world of literature

A convivial place, the restaurant is also a place for sharing thoughts. In the capital, more precisely in the 6ᵉ arrondissement where most of the major publishing houses are concentrated, the small world of literature has had its habits since the 17th century. La Closerie des Lilas, Le Café de Flore, Le Procope, Les Deux Magots... have seen theentire Parisian intelligentsia pass through their walls, from their creations to the present day. From Arthur Rimbaud to Amélie Nothomb, not forgetting Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and André Breton, all the famous writers met here to philosophize or simply enjoy themselves. And in terms of literary addresses,the Opéra district is not to be outdone.

Drouant and the Goncourt

For 120 years, France's most prestigious literary prize, the Goncourt, has been awarded at Drouant, nestled in the Opéra district.These walls frame the famous oval table that serves as the office of the "Dix Couverts" - the ten current members of the Académie Goncourt, including Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt and, most recently, Christine Angot. An additional prize was created here in 1926: the Renaudot, named after the precursor of the written press who, in 1630, initiated the Gazette de France.

• 6-18 rue Gaillon, 75002 Paris
• Read the Gault&Millau review

The majestic Café de la Paix

Not far from the Drouant, just opposite the Opéra, with its breathtaking view, Le Café de la Paix can boast of having hostedthe first meeting of the Académie Goncourt in 1903, when Joseph-Antoine Nau was awarded the first Prix Goncourt for his novel Force ennemie in this Napoleon III-style setting. The place thus became"the place to be". Oscar Wilde, Paul Valéry, André Gide and Marcel Proustfound themselves among the anonymous. Later, Ernest Hemingway made the place his habit, even setting passages in his novel The SunAlso Rises (1926).

• 5 place de l'Opéra, 75009 Paris
• Read the Gault&Millau review

The oldest, Le Procope

Founded in 1686 by Sicilian Francesco Procopio Dei Coltelli,Le Procope is now considered the oldest café-glacier in Paris. From the outset, the establishment was popular with Enlightenment philosophers and writers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire. Legend even has it that Diderot laid the foundations for the Encyclopédie.Nestled not far from the Odéon theater, Beaumarchais and Voltaire celebrated their premieres here, of The Marriage of Figaro and Œdipe respectively. Today, Amélie Nothomb and Bernard Werbercan be found here, soaking up the untouched atmosphere of the places their mentors frequented.

• 13 rue de l'Ancienne-Comédie, 75006 Paris
• Read the Gault&Millau review

The most mythical, Le Café de Flore

The Café de Flore, along with its neighbor Les Deux Magots, is the most famous and historic literary café, particularly popular with American tourists. All the cultural and mythical atmosphere of Saint-Germain-des-Prés still resonates here. Founded in 1887, for over half a century it remained the"meeting place" for literary figures. After Charles Maurras wrote his novel Au signe de Flore there in 1931, Guillaume Apollinaire transformed it into a writing room. The café soon became a landmark of artistic life in Paris. Picasso and Giacometti rubbed shoulders with Françoise Sagan and Boris Vian. Even actors and directors sometimes set up shop with their cameras. In 1963, Louis Malle shot Le feu follet. In 1994, Frédéric Beigbeder created the Prix de Flore for an emerging author, in a bid to keep up with the growing number of tourists.

• 172, boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris
• www.cafedeflore.fr

The latest, Les éditeurs

Les éditeurs is aptly named. It's here, in the midst of this setting of great libraries, that publishers, authors and specialist journalists really come together today. Located at the crossroads of major publishing houses such as Gallimard, Actes Sud and P.O.L, this cosy literary café follows in the footsteps of Cafés de Flore, Les Deux Magots, Lipp and Le Procope, having forged a fine reputation in the industry with the creation of its Les Éditeurs prize in 2002. Here, you're more likely to bump intoyour favorite author.

• 4 carrefour de l'Odéon, 75006 Paris
• www.lesediteurs.fr