Haussmann, or the Distinction

Paul La Farge

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Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann, who transformed Paris from a filthy and haphazard medieval city into the jewel of Europe, is rumored on his deathbed to have wished all his work undone. Why? The answer lies in the story of Madeleine, a foundling from the magical old world Haussmann destroyed; of de Fonce, a '"demolition man" who sold the rubble of Paris as antiques; and of a three-sided affair that reveals the moral bankruptcy of the city, a corruption hidden by the transformative work of its brilliant architect.

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Published
2001
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Author

Paul La Farge

Paul B. La Farge (born November 17, 1970) is an American novelist, essayist and academic. As of 2012, he has published four novels: The Artist of the Missing (1999), Haussmann, or the Distinction (2001), The Facts of Winter (2005) and Luminous Airplanes (2011), all of which, particularly Haussmann, have earned positive critical attention. His essays and reviews have been published in outlets such as The Village Voice, Harper's, and The New Yorker.