I happy to have my friend and organizer of the Paris Writers Group, which I have belonged to since inception in 2008, Mary Duncan, as Parisian of the Month. Enjoy this eye opening interview.
Where were you born and where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in San Diego, the land of sunshine, beaches, Margaritas and Dr. Seuss.
When and why did you move to Paris?
During the early 1980’s, I decided to live in Paris. In 2000, after many years of planning, I embarked on an early retirement program at San Diego State University where I was a professor, bought an apartment and now live between Paris and La Jolla, California. Paris nourishes and energizes me. It’s intangible, but real.
When did you develop an interest in writing and literature?
Reading and writing have always been my favorite activities. I used to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and smuggle them into the neighborhood library.
My Ph.D. dissertation, “The Effects of Social Conflict on Leisure Patterns in Belfast, N. Ireland,” paved the way for world travel and
numerous research adventures to Nicaragua, Tehran, Berlin, Russia, Mexico and even Paris. Curiosity drives me and it never seems to be satisfied.
How and why did you start the Paris Writers Group?
Since 1988, I’ve been a member of the San Diego Writing Women.
After I moved to Paris, I really missed our monthly meetings. In 2008, I created the Paris Writers Group. We started in my living room with www.pariswritersgroup.net
You’ve lived many lives in many places. You were once a Playboy bunny. What was that experience like?
I laughed out loud when I read this question. I was never a Bunny.I had the boobs but not the legs. For over twelve years, I was a fairly regular guest at the Playboy Mansion. Max Lerner, the late Los Angeles Times syndicated columnist and writer, was a good friend of Hugh Hefner. I was a friend of Max.
Staying at the Mansion was like living in a five-star hotel where you never received a bill. Twenty-four hour room service, valets, maids, gym, grotto and pool, tennis, a game room with a billiard table, three private bedrooms for assignations, a vast film collection, a masseuse, all surrounded by a multi-million dollar art collection. Dali, Pollack, Matisse and others adorned the walls.
In my book, Henry Miller is Under My Bed: People and Places on the way to Paris (2011), the chapter, “Breakfast at Hef’s”, has a colorful description of life at the Mansion. Actors James Caan and Tony Curtis were regulars. My favorites were the writers and directors like Shel Silverstein and Richard Brooks. Some of the most stimulating intellectual conversations I’ve ever had took place around Hef’s breakfast table.
In my first life, I was a minister’s wife. I made up for those traditional years at the Playboy Mansion.
Please tell us about the time you spent in Moscow and the bookshop you owned.
In 1988, I met my husband, Yuri Loskutov, while participating in a Human Rights conference in Moscow. After we were married in 1989, I began living there when I wasn’t teaching. Contemporary English language books were scarce. George Whitman, the late owner of Shakespeare and Company Paris, encouraged me to open a bookstore in Moscow. I found a Russian partner who already had a small literary bookstore. We opened on April Fool’s Day in 1996 because everyone said we were fools to do it.
In those days, Delta let me bring three large seventy pound bags, filled with books and never charged me for excess luggage. When Russian customs tried to charge me fees, I smiled and told them to keep the books and drink them with their tea. They always waved me through.
From the first day, Shakespeare and Company Moscow became the literary center for Expats and English speaking Russians. Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Andrei Voznesensky and Masha Gessen, who now writes for the New York Times, were featured guests. We rapidly earned a reputation for our well-stocked lounge, which featured Starbucks Coffee, vodka and red wine. Some readers would get tipsy while browsing for books. Yes, it helped improve the sales.
In the 90’s, Moscow was like the Wild West and I thrive in these dynamic, fast-moving environments. We closed in 2003 after Putin’s corrupt bureaucrats and mafia made life difficult for small businesses.
If you could invite one writer living or dead to dinner, whom would you select and where would you take them.
There are two. Erica Jong and David McCullough. I’d take her to Jean-Georges in NYC. David McCullough and I would go to the newly renovated Ritz. It’s not too late. They are both still living. I’m ever hopeful.
Who are some of your favorite French writers and books?
Colette and Simone de Beauvoir were fearless nontraditional role models. Simone chose her intellect over her heart and paid a heavy price in personal happiness. Colette managed to have both.
After reading The Second Sex, I realized why I often felt out-of-step with society’s expectations. Beauvoir’s concept of alterity, living your life through others, revolutionized my thinking. I decided to forge my own path and not worry about the consequences. Financial independence was an important key to that decision. My first article in the Huffington Post was “How I Retired Early and Moved to Paris.” huffingtonpost.com/mary-duncan
What is the book you are currently writing?
The rue de la Bucherie is the focus of my current book. It has a rich literary legacy intertwined with the history of the street.
You have a fascination with Henry Miller; you wrote the book Henry Miller is Under my Bed and have a large archive of original Henry Miller materials. What attracted you to Henry Miller’s work and your fascination with him?
Bradley Smith, a Time/Life photographer and writer, wrote two books with Henry Miller. As a result, he had an archive of Henry’s taped interviews, photographs and letters. I used to sit on the floor of Bradley’s home office in the hills of La Jolla, listening to Henry’s deep Brooklyn accent. Miller died in 1980, so I never met him. But I absolutely coveted those materials. After Bradley died in 1997, I purchased the archive from his estate as well as the rights to five of Bradley’s books.
Two years ago, Dorothy’s Gallery hosted an exhibit of the photographs.
You recently started your own book press, Paris Writers Press. What are some of your current books you’ve published? What is your selection process when choosing a new book.
In 2011, when I wanted to revise my memoir, Henry Miller is Under My Bed, Starhaven, my wonderful London publisher, didn’t have the time, so I acquired the publishing rights and it was PWP’s first book. The second was an ebook, Bradley Smith’s Erotic Art of the Masters, which was his bestseller. Our most recent is Sade’s Publisher: a Memoir (2016) by Jean-Jacques Pauvert, a prominent French publisher, for which PWP received an award from the French Ministry of Culture.
At the same time, PWP published a Second Edition of Writers in Paris: Literary Lives in the City of Light by David Burke. Our next book is a revised edition of In Search of Josephine Baker by John Kirby Abraham.
My selection process is similar to Jean-Jacques Pauvert’s. I follow my instincts and publish what I like. We are not accepting new book proposals until late 2017. We favor books that are related to France.
What do you prefer about Paris?
Paris provides an endless cycle of history, beauty, culture and intellectual stimulation. Many years ago, when I was asked if I was ever afraid of getting hurt or killed while conducting research in Belfast, Nicaragua and Mexican squatter villages, I replied, “I’m more afraid of dying bored than of dying.” In Paris, I am never bored.
My Paris Apartment for Rent October 29 to November 11
I am renting my fabulous Paris apartment in the heart of the Marais near St. Paul metro, from October 29 to November 11, a total of 14 nights. It's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps one or two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S. The apartment is located on the second floor with an elevator.
The price is $225 a night with a minimum rental 7 nights. Price is negotiable if staying more than 7 nights. Photos upon request. Please email me at [email protected] if you are interested. Dates are flexible by two to three days on each end but please do not email me with other dates.
Eye Prefer Paris Postcards
I am thrilled to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Postcards, a 3, 6 or 12-month subscription service where the subscriber receives three physical postcards of my iconic Paris photos every month. Each month will have a specific theme, from architectural street scenes to romantic outdoor cafes to beautiful gardens to unique shots of iconic monuments. Each mailing will include two postcards in color and one in black & white or sepia, beautifully packaged in a special French Blue postcard holder with a custom designed seal.
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Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 195 euros per person (about $210)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
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