The Paris Bookseller

Written by national best-selling author Kerri Maher in 2022, The Paris Bookseller is a historical novel that details the life of Lost Generation-bookseller and publisher, Sylvia Beach. The story follows Sylvia’s Parisian journey upon opening the historic English-language bookshop called Shakespeare and Company, as well as her altruistic endeavor to publish James Joyce’s controversial novel Ulysses. It is also worth noting that Ulysses was published in 1922, exactly 100 years prior to the publication of The Paris Bookseller.

This guide refers to the 2022 hardcover edition from Headline Publishing.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss death by suicide. The source text also includes outdated and offensive terms to refer to gay and lesbian people.

Plot Summary

Newly arrived in Paris from America, Sylvia Beach visits a bookshop and meets the proprietor, Adrienne Monnier. Although Sylvia is attracted to Adrienne, Adrienne already has a partner named Suzanne. The three of them, along with Sylvia’s sister Cyprian, soon become friends, and Sylvia comes up with the idea of opening a French bookshop in America. Soon after this point, however, Suzanne dies of tuberculosis, and Sylvia and Adrienne become romantically involved. Inspired by the Parisian lifestyle and by Adrienne’s enduring zest for life, Sylvia decides instead to open an English-language bookshop in Paris and name it Shakespeare and Company. The shop attracts numerous established and aspiring writers, including Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, and James Joyce, the latter of whom is a particular favorite of Sylvia’s, and whom she is delighted to have the opportunity to meet and befriend. She has been reading his serialized novel, Ulysses, and holds great admiration for his work. Ulysses is now facing widespread contention for its controversial content, and it also faces the prospect of full censorship in the United States: a development that infuriates Sylvia and triggers her long-held desire to make a meaningful contribution to the world of literature. Sylvia and Joyce’s friendship fully solidifies shortly before the novel is officially banned in America. In the wake of what she sees as an outrageous example of censorship, Sylvia decides to publish a full-length edition of Ulysses herself in order to make Joyce’s masterpiece widely accessible to the public.

The publication process is slow and challenging and is often inhibited by Joyce’s failing health, his artistic temperament, and Adrienne’s frustration at Sylvia’s loyalty to Joyce despite his tendency to exploit the generosity of his female supporters in various ways. Observing these patterns in frustration, Adrienne feels that Joyce is taking advantage of Sylvia and other women as well, such as his financial patroness, Harriet Weaver. However, despite the growing strain on her own relationship with Adrienne, Sylvia remains determined to see Joyce’s novel published, even going so far as to take on the financial burden of publication. This endeavor creates an enormous amount of emotional and financial stress, for although her renowned bookshop, Shakespeare and Company, grows to become a well-known haven for both English-speaking and French writers, artists, and intellectuals, she nonetheless suffers from recurring financial difficulties.

Finally, her endeavors bear some fruit, and Ulysses is officially released to mixed acclaim. However, it soon begins appearing in America in pirated editions, and Sylvia tries to fight this via a complex and ultimately unsuccessful legal battle. Soon, American publishers express new interest in Ulysses and try to purchase Sylvia’s foreign rights, but Sylvia is unwilling to sell her rights for a price that she deems unfair. Because this practical stance essentially delays the publication process and puts her at odds with her original purpose of bringing Ulysses to the wider world, her decision leads to a rupture in her friendship with Joyce, during which she also comes to realize how little he respected her assistance and many acts of friendship over the years. Realizing that Joyce has only ever regarded her as a convenient means to achieving his own personal ends, she decides that this particular legal battle is not worth fighting, and she releases the creative property rights back to Joyce, washing her hands of the entire affair and moving on with her life.

During this time, Sylvia must also deal with the unexpected suicide of her mother, whose mental health has been declining for some time, as well as the tempestuous relationships and dramas of her artistic friends in Paris. Through it all, she remains grateful for her steadfast relationship with Adrienne but acknowledges that their life together has grown somewhat stagnant. Additionally, as Sylvia ages, she comes to appreciate a quieter, more reclusive lifestyle and grows to dislike organizing and hosting the energetic bookshop gatherings that Adrienne still deeply enjoys. When the bookshop begins experiencing new financial troubles, Sylvia holds a series of literary events to raise money, even going so far as to sell off highly prized memorabilia, including some of Joyce’s early scribblings. As she acknowledges how much her life has changed, she also reflects on her celebrated status as a central figure in the literary community of expats in Paris; however, she begins to feel that this era is finally coming to an end. At one of these bookshop gatherings, Joyce offers Sylvia a token of gratitude and apology: a royalty check from his American publisher made out in her name.