An Apartment in Paris
David Benjamin, who has lived part-time in Paris with his wife for over 30 years—an echo of the name of his book. When he’s not in Paris, he also lives in downtown Madison.
David is also the publisher of Last Kid Books, named for his first book published by Random House (NY) several years ago, about his poignant coming-of-age story, growing up in the Midwest, in Tomah, Wisconsin.
By the way, he came to Rockford College as a National Merit scholar in 1967 and was elected president of my freshman class- ran cross country for the Regents and made friendships with both students and faculty that he always cherished. He went on to graduate from college elsewhere but never forget those wonderful days spent in Rockford.
So many people have asked him what it’s really like to live in Paris, he finally wrote a book about it .. (he worked on it for about 10 years). An Apartment in Paris, has been a big hit with readers no matter whether they’ve been to Paris or not.
Benjamin says, “Paris has always been a place where impulse triumphs over reason, where a silly romantic notion can cloud your mind and change you forever. This is why, when you see a window in Paris full of real estate ads, you should run for your life.” With that said, he and his wife, an international journalist and photographer, bought a Paris in the Latin Quarter three decades ago …and it’s now the subject of David’s new book.
Readers will find out what it's like to buy a 6-story walkup apartment in Paris and what’s it is like to live in Paris from a very different, non-tourist point of view If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to live in Paris or buy a place to live, (as an American it’s very tricky), this is a Paris story like no other.
A number of David Benjamin's titles are part of the collection at the American Library in Paris, which had long been a meccas for students from all over the world studying in Paris. Benjamin has twice taken part in book talks at the American Library. He was a panelist among several American authors discussing the challenge of "Writing About Paris." He also conducted a seminar there for a group of University of Maryland students on "The Storyteller’s Seven Keys" to crafting a engaging narrative.
Benjamin has written 24 books (four set in Paris), which have earned him book awards in fifteen different literary genres. For those who have a further interest in his stories, he will bring books to sign/sell after the meeting.
This promises to be an interesting and informative program and much different from many of our previous presentations. This will be an excellent opportunity to bring a guest or prospective member to join us in person a t Memorial Hall or via Zoom.
Elise Cadigan will introduce our presenter and act as Rotary host.
