There is something about Paris that brings out the would-be anthropologist in foreign writers. Parisian life has customs, codes and rituals that can seem mysterious and off-putting at first encounter. But they are decipherable, and the writers who have broken through and made sense of them (or think they have) not only feel a sense of accomplishment, but also an irresistible urge to explain Paris to others. I speak here from experience.
Simon Kuper is better placed than most English-language journalists to explain Paris authoritatively. Like illustrious predecessors such as Janet Flanner of the New Yorker (whose “Paris Journal” appeared for more than 50 years), or Elaine Sciolino of the New York Times (author of the classic La Séduction: How the French Play the Game of Life), he has lived in Paris for decades. He has raised children there – by far the best way to integrate into a foreign culture. And his position as a columnist for the Financial Times has given him access to circles of Parisian life that usually remain closed to outsiders.
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