Existential Crisis and Existentialism
Left Bank: Art, Passion, and the Rebirth of Paris, 1940-50 by Agnès Poirier - Critical Review
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
On a superficial level, Left Bank is an incredible view of the existentialist movement, that follows its seeds being planted during the Nazi occupation of Paris, to its failure to turn a philosophy into a political ideology. In fact, Left Bank is actually a vignette of intellectual life in the 40s in Paris, and the search for a Third Way in a world increasingly faced with two options, Capitalism and Communism. It allows you to feel like another author, philosopher, or intellectual on the Left bank experiencing the art movement as it existed and seeing the writers and philosophers as both great thinkers and as individuals with petty squabbles, complex relationships and distinct inspirations. Having previously been unaware of Existentialism, the artistic movement spearheaded by these intellectuals on the left bank during the 40s, this book provided a comprehensive view on the evolution of the movement and the forces that influenced it. As someone more interested in history than philosophy, it was exactly what I would want from such a book, covering the impact of political and personal forces on art rather than a study of the art itself. On the other hand, I have finished the book without a clear idea of what Existentialism is. Very surface level information was given on Existentialism, which prevented a deeper exploration as it is important to understand Existentialism, even if superficially, to understand the existentialists. The only real dynamic exploration was of the existentialists relationship with Communism, but even then it was explored not on an ideological but practical level, and to the reader appears much more influenced by the Communists views on them than their views on Communism. I do think this to some extent reflects the reality of the Existentialists shift from Communism, but I would have enjoyed a more nuanced and thorough exploration of this as this is a key part of the reason they search for a third way and aren’t content with the alternative to capitalism offered by Communism.
Moreover, I felt like what this book had in breath it lacked in depth. This is of course caused by the breath issue. So many people are introduced during the course of this book that it would be impossible to dedicate the time needed to properly introduce each individual in the 300 pages this book spans. This causes a problem, as if you aren’t previously familiar with the topic it becomes quite difficult to remember who is who, and who does what. This is especially an issue when they are mentioned later with the assumption that you’re aware of who they were as they have already been introduced. Safe to say there were many points where I was a bit lost as to who we were talking about. Having such a wide cast of characters also prevented the deep exploration of said characters. Many characters were introduced and we were sporadically informed of their actions but there was very little time to develop them as people, nor to explore their ideologies and works. For some of the intellectuals discussed, I’m unsure as to why they were even mentioned. I felt like this took away from a history so focused on individuals, and did not give insights towards the intellectuals that could have otherwise proved quite valuable. For example it was often mentioned that the two central figures of Existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir had rejected the bourgeois traditions they had grown up with. This was the only information we were given about their childhood, and thus we were unable to understand what led to this rejection, and miss a fundamental part of their character as this rejection is part of the reason they choose to not embrace Capitalism in the post war period. Exploring this would have given much more depth to their story and their ideology, as we would see why they desperately search for a third way and don’t choose to simply support the capitalist option.
The existentialists were painted in a very favorable light throughout the book, which can lead to some issues with the treatment of certain subject matter. To begin, the central figures of Existentialism, Sartre and Beauvoir, enjoyed engaging in romantic and sexual relationships with their students. This is an abuse of power. It is not really treated as such throughout the book, in fact this is not critically examined at any point though it is a consistent theme in their romantic and sexual relationships. Apart from that, to keep up with the demands put on them by themselves and their public roles, and to be able to output significant volumes of written works Sartre and Beauvoir took stimulants. This again is mentioned briefly, and is another topic where I felt that a more thorough and nuanced discussion of the subject matter would have lended itself to a richer work. Again we run into the problem of such a large breath in 300 pages, there just isn’t really time to explore anything that deeply.
Overall, reading this book felt like a brief glimpse into the lives of people who had a remarkable impact on the world we live in, as well as on the way we think about said world. The story also felt like an ode to Paris and the role it played in shaping the post-WW2 intellectual scene. Throughout the entire book you can tell Poirier loves the city, and is proud of the great intellectuals it has produced. This adds a level of charm to the story, as you want her to take you by the hand and lead you through the wonderful maze of cobblestone streets and tell you all the incredible people who have shaped the world right out of Paris. I also thought that the discussion of culture shocks was very cute, as for example Sartre is very shocked that in America the door knob is located on the side of a door instead of the middle. In our current homogenous world it is so rare to experience true culture shocks, especially when going to the US that it is just adorable to see the characters have these revelations. These moments served to humanise the characters, and are part of the reason that Poirier’s writing is so accessible and engaging.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this period of history, but is looking for something accessible, engaging and not too in depth, or someone who is interested in the Existentialist movement as a whole, and would be interested in being a godlike figure watching all the key characters lives unfold through the 40s.
I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a discussion of Existentialism. That isn’t what this book has to offer, but I am sure there are many other books that provide what you are looking for.
Books I’m interested in reading to further explore the topic: At the Existentialist Café