Les Deux Magots. The Two Magicians, not the Two Maggots
Les Deux Magots (French pronunciation: [le dø maɡo]) is a famous[1] café in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area of Paris, France. It once had a reputation as the rendezvous of the literary and intellectual élite of the city. It is now a popular tourist destination. Its historical reputation is derived from the patronage of Surrealist artists, intellectuals such as Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, and young writers, such as Ernest Hemingway. Other patrons included Albert Camus, Pablo Picasso, James Joyce, Bertolt Brecht, Julia Child, and the American writers, James Baldwin, Chester Himes, Charles Sutherland, and Richard Wright.[2]
Origin of the name[edit]
The name originally belonged to a fabric and novelty shop at nearby 23 Rue de Buci. The shop sold silk lingerie and took its name from a popular play of the moment (1800s) entitled Les Deux Magots de la Chine. Its two statues represent Chinese "mandarins," or "magicians" (and "alchemists," depending upon one's philosophical point of view), who gaze serenely over the room. These two oriental gentlemen are the source of the name of one of the great cultural landmark cafes of Saint-Germain des Pres. "Magot" literally means "stocky figurine from the Far East."[3] In 1873, the business moved to its current location in the Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés. In 1884, the business changed to a café and liquoriste, keeping the name.
Auguste Boulay bought the business in 1914, when it was on the brink of bankruptcy, for 400,000 francs (anciens). The present manager, Catherine Mathivat, is his great-great-granddaughter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Deux_Magots
Love the history! It's almost as if I can feel the age of the area. My son-in-law Jed proposed to my daughter Alisha in front of the Eiffel Tower.
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