Speaking of Paris, I would like to rephrase the famous phrase from the movie “Forrest Gump”: “Paris is the largest box of chocolates, each of which is surprising and unpredictable, because you never know what filling will be inside. It can be viscous, sugary-sweet or, conversely, with citrus bitterness - it does not matter. The main thing is not to stop, to go along the endless cobblestone streets along small boutiques, old-fashioned bistros, flirty gardens, because you need to have time before ... to see Paris and die! ” Who said this phrase familiar to everyone? We are talking about this and not only further.
History
Who said “See Paris and die”? Before answering a question that concerns us, we turn to history. And we will have to go not somewhere, but to a very distant past - to Ancient Rome. Yes, all roads lead to Rome, and all because the expression arose there: "See Rome and die!" But one should not take everything literally: no one was ever going to sink into oblivion after visiting Rome. On the contrary - this is the highest rating of the Eternal City on seven hills, the recognition that its beauty and spirit can not be compared with anything in this mortal world.
Not so simple
Subsequently, the winged expression left its native coast and went on to Naples. And now on the streets of this amazing southern city, one can hear here and there: "Videre Napoli et Mori". We will omit the literal translation for now, because there are two options for understanding. The first, our beloved: "See Naples and die!" The second, more faithful: “See Naples and Mori!” - all with the same figurative meaning: “See everything!” Why is there such a mess? The fact is that the word mori can be interpreted in two ways. In Latin, it means the name of the village of Mori, which is located near Naples, and the verb "die."
The story does not end there - the phrase is too bright, expressive and surprisingly accurate: "To see ... and die!" Not more than two centuries ago, Italians created their own loud motto: “Vedi Napoli e poi muori”, which means: “See Naples and die!” And now, without any “buts.” In written form, it was first encountered in 1787 in the diary of Johann Goethe traveling through European countries. However, everything flows, everything changes, and the coastal town has lost its former glory. She is a windy friend, went in search of new heroes - to Paris ...
1931
Well, here we are in the beautiful French capital, which means that we are one step away from answering the question of who said "See Paris and die!"
In the 30s of the last century, a young man by the name of Ilya Ehrenburg lived and worked at that time on the banks of the Seine. He was a simple emigrant from Kiev, a native of a Jewish family, but a real “Khreshchatyk Parisian,” as Yevgeny Yevtushenko called him , because he was truly in love with this amazing city. Even despite the fact that over time he decided to return to his homeland, to the Soviet Union, was an ardent supporter of the victory of socialism throughout the world and a tireless propagandist of the Soviet system, he continued to admire Paris and repeatedly came there. The proof of this is his book My Paris, published in 1931.
Book
We continue to talk about who said: “See Paris and die!” It is in this book that this revolution is first encountered, which subsequently becomes commonplace, especially among Soviet people. This is probably due not only to a certain magnetism, the unique beauty of this expression, but also to the “iron curtain” existing at that time, restricting the travel of Soviet citizens abroad. The forbidden fruit is known to be very sweet.
But back to the book of Ilya Ehrenburg - the one who first said: "See Paris and die!" There are many books on the world devoted to the capital of France - the city of artists and poets, trendsetter and gourmet cuisine. On the one hand, they believed him, admired him, and on the other, disdained the poverty and mud of his poor neighborhoods. But the main thing is in a completely different way: everyone, both fans and ill-wishers, was struck by its colossal size and the hectic pace of life. And yet, the fact that Paris never had an equal was spoken and written more than once. What conquered the world of Ilya Ehrenburg's book “My Paris”?
Conclusion
He wrote and took photographs about the lives of ordinary citizens, about how they are born, study, fall in love, work, relax. In fact, their life does not differ from millions and billions of the same lives, except that the actions of the play called "Life Path" take place against the backdrop of the Seine, Montmartre, winding Parisian streets. And all this is relentlessly removed by one person - the author of the work and those who said the phrase: “See Paris and die!” As a result, we got one and a half thousand photo cards. The best entered the book - a real photo album. An interesting fact is that for the first time the shooting was carried out by a hidden camera - a camera with a side viewfinder. This was the idea of Ilya Ehrenburg, who sought first of all to show the human side of the capital - its essence, because not the palaces and the Eiffel Tower create a unique atmosphere, the aura of the city, but its inhabitants. Thus, Ilya Ehrenburg, a translator, poet, writer, publicist, photographer, and also the one who said “See Paris and die!”, With his unique work, urged us not only to admire the French capital, but to die in order to live and endlessly love her unique beauty, and the whole world.