LitFilm: Portrait of the Bookstore as an Old Man, with Molly Crabapple

Sat, Sep 25 2021
10:00 am – 11:00 am
Virtual

author talks BPL Presents film litfilm


Documentary, dir. by Gonzague Pichelin, Benjamin Sutherland
U.S., 2003, 52 min

In 1951, George Whitman opened a bookshop-commune in Paris. George, 92, still runs his "den of anarchists disguised as a bookstore," offering free, dirty beds to poor literati, cutting his hair with a candle and gluing the carpet with pancake batter. More than 40,000 poets, travelers and political activists have stayed at Shakespeare and Company, writing or stealing books, throwing parties and making soup or love while living with George's generosity and fits of anger. Illustrious guests include Henry Miller, Anaïs Nin, Jacques Prévert, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Gregory Corso, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, James Baldwin and Richard Wright. Welcome to the makeshift utopia of the last member of the Beat Generation. The film will be followed by a talkback with author Molly Crabapple. To see the full roster of films, please go here.

*Registered audience members will receive a streaming link and additional instructions prior to the screening date.

Add to My Calendar 09/25/2021 10:00 am 09/25/2021 11:00 am America/New_York LitFilm: Portrait of the Bookstore as an Old Man, with Molly Crabapple <p><strong>Documentary, dir. by Gonzague Pichelin, Benjamin Sutherland<br /> U.S., 2003, 52 min</strong></p> <p>In 1951, George Whitman opened a bookshop-commune in Paris. George, 92, still runs his "den of anarchists disguised as a bookstore," offering free, dirty beds to poor literati, cutting his hair with a candle and gluing the carpet with pancake batter. More than 40,000 poets, travelers and political activists have stayed at Shakespeare and Company, writing or stealing books, throwing parties and making soup or love while living with George's generosity and fits of anger. Illustrious guests include Henry Miller, Anaïs Nin, Jacques Prévert, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Gregory Corso, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, James Baldwin and Richard Wright. Welcome to the makeshift utopia of the last member of the Beat Generation. <strong>The film will be followed by a talkback with author Molly Crabapple.&nbsp;To see the full roster of films, please go&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bklynlibrary.org/litfilm">here</a>.</strong></p> <p><strong>*Registered audience members will receive a streaming link and additional&nbsp;instructions prior to the screening date.</strong></p> Brooklyn Public Library - Virtual MM/DD/YYYY 60