The Measure of Paris

Scobie, a Canadian poet, presents this collection of writing about Paris. Written in a personal narrative style, the work describes one man's relationship with the city through its history, his experiences there, and other writer's relationships and descriptions. Divided into six sections, the work, both literary criticism and memoir, focuses on the stories of the flaneur, or city walker, as a descriptive trope especially adapted to Paris. The author includes specific connections to Canadian writers and their relationships with Paris as well as personal memories of his late wife and their time in the city. The work includes interesting chapter notes and several black and white photographs. Annotation 穢2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)