If Eric Blair had come to Paris to broaden his outlook, the Hotel at 6 Rue du Pot de Fer fitted the bill perfectly. In many ways, the Hotel des Bons Amis* (renamed L’Hotel des 3 Moineaux in the book) was no different from other bottom rung establishments in the city in that it catered for the sort of demographic that was largely made up of immigrants and those passing through. But whereas some quarters showed how certain nationalities tended to band together – Russians in the 15th arr, Chinese in the 13th arr, Italians in the 17th arr – the Latin Quarter was the proverbial melting pot. During Eric’s 18 month stay at the Hotel des Bon Amis, it was home to Fins, Russians, Austrians, Palestinians, French, Portuguese and Greeks among others. The walls were thin, the mattresses (in)famously infested and Eric parted with around 30 francs a week for the pleasure of such eclectic company and a roof over his head.
Commercial street listings and documents that record changes of management, confirm that both the hotel and the bistro underneath were run by Monsieur and Madame Ferrari from 1924 to 1931. Both Italian immigrants born at the end of the 19th century, they occupied one of the lots in the hotel themselves.
The Rue du Pot de Fer crossed the Rue Mouffetard at the apex of the hill once the shops and restaurants that lined the busy market street thinned out slightly. The surrounding cobbled lanes and small squares lent a village-like air to this spot that seemed strangely isolated given its location within a capital city — an aspect that Ernest Hemmingway greatly appreciated during his own stay in the quarter. Everything the locals needed was here on the plateau and on the surrounding hills. Getting to public transport meant a 30-minute walk at least and the metro station on Place Monge wouldn’t open until a year after Eric left Paris.
His hotel at number six was just set back from the crossroads and although a bustling commercial ambience reigned during the day, things could take a more dangerous turn after nightfall when crime and violence became a real risk. Eric himself claims in “Down and Out” to have witnessed a murder beneath his window and although no specific record exists that matches his description, police records show a number of incidents that occurred during his stay. One such incident involved the manager of the hotel opposite at number 5, who shot and killed a man (Guininou) allegedly in self-defence. Haoutti Boujid was led away by police but released the next day when his claim was corroborated by passers-by.
Today, the building at number 6 where Eric Blair lived from June 1928 to December 1929 is residential and the former bistro on the ground floor is a North African chicha café.
The real people & places from Down and Out in Paris and London are revealed in the forthcoming book, Orwell in Paris – Down & Out with the Russian Captain.
To be published first in French: Orwell à Paris – Dans la dèche avec le capitaine russe. By EXILS éditions, Paris on the 24/04/2024
References:
Paris Archives. Paris police archives. Paris public transport archives. Retronews. Gallica.
*The True Artist: Poverty, Networking and Literary Artifice – by Darcy Moore (Orwell studies volume 6. No.1. 2021).
Photo of the Rue du Pot de Fer courtesy of Gallica.
Mr. Roberts: Last week, a highlight of a visit to Paris was walking the rue du Pot de Fer and being in Orwell’s footsteps. I had a wine at Café Planet-chicha, by pure luck the locale of Orwell’s hotel — one might surmise his ghost guided me there, yes? When it came time to leave I walked to the corner of rue Mouffetard and found myself lingering there. The desire to remain in Orwell’s presence was powerful. Damn, leaving there was painful.
DB
Saratoga Springs, NY