Wednesday, May 16, 2012

LITERARY CAFES



Do you like going to places with a literary background? I LOOOOVE it! Some examples that I absolutely loved... the one above, in New York, The Cornelia Street Cafe, an artists' café. Within a month of its opening, there were poetry readings and music performances; and then a tiny play written for the café; and fiction writers; and Eskimo poetry; and puppeteers; and a living portrait of James Joyce; and the Four Quartets and the entire Iliad; and mime shows on the street outside the café; and comedians; and fairy tales and storytellers and Punch and Judy shows.Nowadays, it hosts more than 300 events a year. And food is delish!

Another fave, The Café Louvre in Prague. Frequented by Einstein or Kafka.Today, you can still ascend the spacious staircase with its walls clad in marble with its Secessionist iron handrail, decorated with stylish mistletoe twigs, to the café on the first floor.

There, visitors used to be welcomed by "the great world’s beauty, emphasized by impressive electric globes” and a "black man in a tailcoat". 

Coffee and cakes are great and, you know what? They still provide notepads and paper in case the muse brings your inspiration along.

What about you all? Any places you'd recommend?

1 comment:

  1. Thanks Diana for this stimulating post! As a lover of coffee and literature I can think of many wonderful cafés to sit and enjoy two of my favourite pleasures: Café Derby here in Santiago, Greco in Rome, La Rotonde in Paris, Café Latino in Ourense, Majestic in Porto...Oh dear, I will soon post a continuation to your entry!

    ReplyDelete