After graduating from Harvard in 1910, T. S. Eliot spent a year in Paris, and his experiences there had a profound and lasting influence upon his life and his work. Even so, most scholars and biographers ignore the contribution of Paris, mention it only in passing, or, in rare cases, dismiss it as a typical post-graduation year any wealthy student of the time could have had. This book sets the record straight on just how vitally important this period was for the young man. The book re-creates the city and discusses in detail how pre-war Parisian culture influenced the works Eliot later produce ... More

After graduating from Harvard in 1910, T. S. Eliot spent a year in Paris, and his experiences there had a profound and lasting influence upon his life and his work. Even so, most scholars and biographers ignore the contribution of Paris, mention it only in passing, or, in rare cases, dismiss it as a typical post-graduation year any wealthy student of the time could have had. This book sets the record straight on just how vitally important this period was for the young man. The book re-creates the city and discusses in detail how pre-war Parisian culture influenced the works Eliot later produced. Hers is the first study of this crucial but largely overlooked year in the life of the artist, and reveals the complex repercussions it had on his literary career.