Philosopher, writer, successful author, professor at Sciences Po and at the Lycée de la Légion d'Honneur, Charles Pépin, who bears a royal first name twice, logically lives in the former district of Charles V, i.e. -say in the Marais.
Having traveled it up and down ("It's while walking that I think best"), the author of The Virtues of Failure and the comic strip Fifty Shades of Greeks knows his neighborhood like the back of his hand.
Normal: for a quarter of a century, he has lived at five different addresses there, which has given him plenty of time to build relationships with numerous traders and residents.
His latest work, The encounter, a philosophy (Allary éditions), is dedicated to the knowledge of others and, as its name suggests, to encounters, friendly or romantic, from Antiquity to the present day.
For him, the meeting is not a pleasure or an incidental alternative, but a necessity. “Meeting is essential to our existence because we are dependent on each other,” he says. That is why Le Marais Mood wanted to meet him. And this is also why Monsieur Pépin received us, in the company of his cat Hermès.
Text: Katia Barillot
Photo: ©Anaïs Costet
18.06.21
Update: 10.07.23
D’OTHER LOVERS OF THE MARAIS
Librairie 0fr., the temple of “cool”
The Ofr bookstore. is so open to the world that it spills onto the sidewalk. Rue Dupetit-Thouars, the books spread out on the tables on either side of the entrance give an idea of what awaits customers behind the window: ultra-trendy fashion magazines, design magazines...
Emily in Paris… and Bruno in the Marais!
In Emily in Paris, he is Luc, the kindly “nerdy” colleague of the American heroine of the Netflix series. A specimen of Parisian hedonist who explains to young Emily, newly arrived in a luxury marketing agency in the capital, the codes of the world of work in France...
Antoine Carrance, head of the Marais Dance Center
At the helm of the oldest amateur dance school in Paris, Antoine Carrance continues the work initiated by his mother with the same credo: firmness but kindness. And professionalism! It was she, in fact, who created the Marais Dance Center in the 1970s, which has now become an institution.
NOW ON
LE MARAIS MOOD
History of the Marais: an exhibition and a catalogue
In the publishing world, nothing remarkable has been published about the Marais for years. That has now been rectified with Ciel, mon marais! (an illustrated history of the neighborhood), a book self-published by Christelle Gonzalo, a mad lover of Paris and the Marais who runs the bookstore…
Jazz at 38Riv: October highlights
The 387Riv Jazz Club, located in the Marais district of Paris, is an intimate and warm venue dedicated to jazz. Known for its hushed atmosphere and live performances, it attracts both local and international musicians. The club, located at 38 rue Saint-Martin, offers regular evenings where improvisation…
Joachim du Bellay’s coffin found under Notre-Dame!
Amazing! The coffin of the poet Joachim Du Bellay was identified in the archaeological excavations carried out under Notre-Dame…