“Magnificent... At every street corner, at every page corner, we discover something new. » The Observer After two centuries of tormented and sometimes panache history, has Paris become a beautiful sleeping capital? Or will his rebellious spirit be reborn from under the cobblestones? Here is a masterful dissection of the Parisian myth, a truer-than-life story, spanning the years 1800 - 2008, where colors mingle with revelations to form an edifying story, far from frozen postcards. The soul of Paris is recomposed through the eyes of artists and classes in the shadows, and great history is illuminated in a surprising light. From Champ-de-Mars to Belleville, from Saint-Germain-des-Prés to Les Halles, the story spins around in the most unexpected corners, revealing facts and places that other historians have preferred to conceal, for fear of getting dirty. hands. The author also draws up a history of the literary and artistic scene: Victor Hugo, Balzac, Georges Bataille, Sartre and the existentialists, Guy Debord or Michel Houellebecq. This book is an implacable demonstration of the way in which power has been trying, for two hundred years, to muzzle the rebellious spirit of the capital. An imperishable spirit, which from time to time explodes, as was the case in May 68. As it will perhaps be the case tomorrow?