Paris, musée du XXIe siècle, le Xe arrondissement

Unclassifiable and yet very refreshing, this book is a rediscovery of the city: to borrow one of Georges Pérec’s titles, this book is an attempt to exhaust a Parisian location. The author strolls through every street of his arrondissement, the tenth. Often in a tone of black humor he enumerates the facades - whether it is those of private homes or filthy windows- the urban furniture, as well as the movement, the traffic – whether pedestrian, automobiles or any other. Along the pages we see appear living or long gone characters, known or not, from abbé Chatel, who became a hypnotizer and a grocer, to Guy Bedos, the comedian. This very personal vademecum is the antithesis of the tourist guide, it sways between the architectural stroll and the sociology summary and is above all a pamphlet against our decor becoming commonplace.

• Paris, musée du XXIe siècle, le Xe arrondissement by Thomas Clerc, L’Arbalète Gallimard, 2007, ISBN : 978-2-07-078485-1, 264 p., 18,50 €