Inside Edith Wharton’s Paris

American writer Edith Wharton loved Paris and moved there permanently in 1907 to create something of a new life for herself after her marriage began to deteriorate. Of these years, she wrote, “My years of Paris life were spent entirely in the rue de Varenne – rich years, crowded and happy years.”

Wharton’s mark on Paris and her literary legacy lives on long after her death in 1937 (she passed away in Pavillon Colombe, Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt). Wharton’s indelible mark on literature left us with works like The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence, and she even won a Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for the latter in 1921. She was the first woman ever to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.

 

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Did you know that Wharton spent considerable time in Paris? Born to a wealthy and socially prominent family in New York City on January 24, 1862, Wharton seemed destined for success, despite being born during the turbulence of the U.S. Civil War. (Wharton hardly ever mentioned the war in all her writings.)

Because of her family’s wealth, they traveled widely. They visited Italy, Germany, Spain, and France. Wharton always had a way with words; she quickly became fluent in different languages as her family lived and traveled abroad. Wharton, a gifted linguist, could fluently speak Italian, German, and French as a young girl. She loved to play “make-believe” and created fantastical stories to entertain herself. She also wrote poetry and short stories as a child. She was only 11 years old when she tried to write her first novel, and she was first published at age 15 for her translation work of a German poem. Due to gender norms of the day, her translation work appeared under a male name, instead of her own.

 

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In 1883, Wharton’s mother, who had been critical of her writing at a young age, moved to Paris (where she’d live until she died in 1901). Wharton married Edward Robbins Wharton when she was 23 years old, and the pair regularly traveled to Paris, England, and parts of Italy. It can be assumed that Wharton fell in love with Paris during the time, because she’d continue to return there and even made Paris her home at one point in her life. Wharton was an avid traveler; it’s reported that she crossed the Atlantic Ocean a record number of 60 times.

Eventually, in 1907, her marriage to Wharton deteriorated, at which point she permanently moved to France on her own to live in Paris. However, they didn’t divorce until 1913.

Here are some sites in Paris that are particularly Edith Wharton-tinged and can be visited to pay homage to this incredible American writer who defied social norms and lived life on her terms in Paris.

53 Rue de Varenne

Wharton lived at 53 Rue de Varenne in the 7th arrondissement in Paris. The apartment once belonged to a Vanderbilt. Wharton lived here from 1907 to 1909.

 

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142 Rue de Grenelle

At 142 Rue de Grenelle, Wharton attended writing salons on Tuesday nights in Paris. They were hosted by Comtesse Rosa de FitzJames. And it was at one of these salons where Wharton met The Times of London correspondent Morton Fullerton, with whom she had a romantic affair. They were both friends with author American-English author Henry James.

Rue Barbet de Jouy

Rue Barbet de Jouy, also in the 7th arrondissement, was where Wharton spent time visiting her friends, the author Paul Bourget and his wife Minnie.

 

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Square d’Ajaccio

At Paris’s Square d’Ajaccio near Les Invalides, Wharton liked to take walks and enjoy the gorgeous cityscape of Paris. The lush square even inspired some of her works.

Jardin des Tuileries

At the beautiful Jardin des Tuileries, the green gardens between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde, Wharton liked to take long strolls with her paramour, Morton Fullerton. They would walk along the Tuileries gardens, enjoying the views and sometimes even going to the Louvre together.

 

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Hôtel de Crillon

Not far from Jardin des Tuileries is another one of Wharton’s haunts, Hôtel de Crillon. Wharton booked a room at the Crillon in April 1909, and inside the hotel, she drafted her novel Custom of the County. She wrote of the experience of staying in the hotel that it was “a very nice apartment up in the sky, overlooking the whole of Paris.”