The success of my short film Left Bank Bookseller, inspired me to write a feature-length version to tell the full story. The idea of a strong and independent female character far ahead of her time drew me to tell the story of a remarkable trailblazer. The inspiration to write this script hit while reading a non-fiction book about Sylvia Beach who opened Shakespeare and Company the first English language bookshop in Paris, in 1919. This inspired Sylvia to open her own English language bookshop in 1919 - thanks to a loan from her mother and help from Adrienne. Adrienne advanced the field of bookselling beyond mere commerce, incorporating an intellectual and artistic dimension.
She invented the concept of the lending library in France mostly to benefit women, few of whom had the budget to buy their own books. Adrienne’s occupation was unusual for a woman at the turn of the 20th century. Sylvia’s mission came into focus when she met fellow book lover Adrienne Monnier, who owned and operated her bookshop La Maison des Amis des Livres in Paris. Her mission was to create both a book store and a haven where book lovers could gather to read. Her devotion to modern writers silently shaped the literary landscape of Paris and changed the face of modern literature. She was generous, good-humored, and fearlessly independent. Beach, who spent her life promoting of avant-garde literature, is one of the most fascinating female figures of the last century. Left Bank Bookseller tells the story of Sylvia Beach, an audacious woman known for running the first English-language bookstore in Paris. The publication by Beach's bookshop of Joyce’s revolutionary novel in 1922 caused a literary sensation and won for itself an international name and fame as the publisher of Ulysses.
Ignoring claims that James Joyce’s Ulysses was obscene, Sylvia Beach, a courageous young woman from America offers to publish Ulysses in France. Left Bank Bookseller captures the avant-garde spirit of Paris in the 1920s.
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