in the early 19th century, all of the cemeteries in paris were closed, due to health concerns about the spread of disease. several cemeteries were created on different sides of paris as a result - this one is slightly south. montparnasse was an artists' district in between world war 1 and world war 2, full of painters and writers.
probably the neatest part of being in this cemetery is not only how peaceful and enjoyable it is (it's not creepy or eerie - much more like a park, we've eaten lunch on benches there twice so far) but also how exciting it is to be at the resting places of some really notable people. these are people whose works i have read and studied intently, mostly during college french courses. but to walk where they walked, to see things they saw, and to be where they are buried... that's completely different.
some notables who i'm familiar with who are buried here: charles baudelaire, marguerite duras, eugène ionesco, vercors, samuel beckett, jean-paul sartre, and simone de beauvoir.
many visitors leave letters to the authors detailing the personal impact of their work. it's reading those notes that reminds me of the impact of literature. one of my favorites contained this quote:
"all of old. nothing else ever.
ever tried. ever failed.
no matter. try again.
fail again. fail better."
-samuel beckett
something i love about paris: it seems as though every place is full of history and literature and art. it's a beautiful thing.
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