Books have never been neutral. Writing them, printing them, selling them and collecting them has put people in danger whenever what they published irritated the powerful.

During this scenic walk we will stroll through some of the loveliest streets in Saint-Germain-des-Près, talking about the writers who made the left bank their home, but were forced by circumstance – whether social, political or because of the threat of violence – into hiding.

Starting on the edge of the Left Bank, we will amble past the Bouquinistes and the tumult of the riverside, to find a quieter world that has changed little since Honoré de Balzac and Oscar Wilde were feted, and later, when their lives were collapsing around them. We will talk about the Jewish booksellers who inhabited the 6th arrondissement until they were deported by the Nazis, the enlightenment philosopher who died fleeing the guillotine, and the woman who wrote in her husband’s name only to become one of the most famous writers in France.

This is my favourite walk.