Literary salons: a garland of wit and whimsy
The mere mention of a literary salon can evoke images of refinement, ingenuity, and sublimity as a cultural elite convene to brilliantly converse about a kaleidoscope of topics. There is always a certain affinity tied to discussing literary treasures that touch upon universal themes, not to mention meeting the spirited authors of such masterful works.
For centuries, literary salons lured those with storytelling prowess and enthralled mesmerized guests. Giovanna Dandolo, the wife of the Venetian doge, was a renowned arts patron and regularly gathered artists and writers in her salon during the fifteenth-century. She also championed the arts by commissioning works and sponsoring important cultural projects, such as the emergent book printing business in Venice, earning her the title of “Empress of Printing”. During seventeenth-century Paris, Madame de la Sablière’s literary salon was considered a distinguished cultural center at the time and attracted a number of accomplished writers and scientists.
Perhaps the most luminous of literary salons was the one hosted by Catherine de Vivonne, the Marquise de Rambouillet, for decades during seventeenth-century Paris. Writers, scholars, aristocrats, and women were invited to this particular salon in the marquise’s own home, the unique Hôtel de Rambouillet. French literature professor Benedetta Craveri writes in her fascinating book, The Age of Conversation, about the marquise’s infamous Blue Room, where she hosted her literary salon. Pieced together from various accounts, we are told the exquisite Blue Room immediately charmed its guests, with its blue brocaded walls gilded in silver and gold, its lavish blue chairs, and its flowing blue curtains. The air always had a floral fragrance dispersed from ravishing flower bouquets, its crystal chandelier gave off a warm dazzle, and its ceiling was painted a cloudless sky.
Many of her salon’s habitués extolled the enchanting effect of the Hôtel de Rambouillet. French writer, Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux, describes it so vividly, “The Hôtel de Rambouillet was, so to speak, the theater of all their entertainments and was the rendezvous for all the most honorable gentlefolk at Court, as well as for the most polished of the century’s wits”. In another account by French novelist Madeleine de Scudéry, “Everything in her house is magnificent, even singular… various magnificent baskets of flowers impart a continuous springtime to her chamber, and the room where one usually sees her is so agreeable and so well conceived that one imagines oneself in an enchanted place.”
In addition to her refined taste, the marquise possessed an ethereal beauty that made her an irresistible and wonderful host. By opening up her home to a select crowd, she sought to elevate the French art of living and nurture ‘preciosity’ amongst her guests; in other words, promote refined and delicate speech, hone the art of conversation, elevate French language writing, instill politesse, and enhance one’s appearance.
At the time, aristocratic society mingled almost exclusively with their lot, but the marquise’s endearing character ensured egalitarian treatment of her guests, who came from all walks of life. Nobles and the bourgeois were encouraged to exchange pleasantries on equal footing and to imbue the salon culture with wit and playfulness rather than strict decorum. This focus on talent and character ensured that many writers and poets were able to secure rich patrons to support their works. Moreover, guests were encouraged to pen the charming events of the day and as such, letter-writing flourished during this period, providing beautiful glimpses into Parisian life during the seventeenth-century.
The enchanting setting sparked a renaissance of creative works by French writers who habituated the marquise’s salon, attributing their inspiration to this uniquely influential venue and its eclectic mix of guests. For instance, Madame de La Fayette was a French writer who has been credited with writing France’s first historical novel, titled “The Princess of Clèves”. Another guest, Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac, wrote letters that became influential in the development of Classical French prose. On the other hand, Madeleine de Scudéry wrote much-celebrated novels that casted women in empowered roles. She left an unforgettable impression on the literary circle that by the late 1640’s, she established her own literary salon named “Société du Samedi”, or the Saturday Club. Such were the salon standards championed by the Marquise de Rambouillet that many salons, thereafter, flourished and were upheld by women who deemed the marquise as an example worth emulating.
Salon hosts during the seventeenth and eighteenth-century were powerful agents who steered literary trends of the day, such as giving the seal of approval for books to be read, the theatrical performances that should be attended, and the art that should be bought. Many French intellectuals and writers were able to advance their position, thanks to the salon’s subtle education in elevating conversation to a fine art. Moreover, salon hosts frequently match-made their protégés with earnest patrons and catapulted their careers into stardom. In fact, members of the prestigious French Academy were often recommended by salon hosts.
The whimsical setting of literary salons gave birth to the concept of the conte de fées, or fairy tales. It was Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, countess d’Aulnoy, who first coined this term and enthralled her salon audiences with her magical tales. Renowned fairytale scholar Jack Zipes writes about her stupendous biography, when she temporarily lived in a convent and traveled expansively through England, Flanders, and Spain before finally settling in Paris. There, on the rue Saint-Benoît, she bought a house and soon, became an accomplished storyteller of her time, penning masterful novels and fairytales. Her first major work, published in 1690, was a tour de force titled “L’Ille de la félicité”, or The Island of Happiness.
Madame d’Aulnoy became a favorite guest at Parisian literary salons and soon opened up her own home as a salon. The setting allowed her to recite her wonderful fairytales to admiring audiences and, in some occasions, rendition them into theatrical performances and masquerades where guests would dress up as characters from the fairy tales. Her repertoire of works includes several volumes of fairy tales, amassing to a total 25 anthologies during her lifetime.
Indeed, by hosting such salons in their own homes, women of the era managed to carve for themselves a sacred space wherein they explored their creative potential and advanced their intellectual frontiers. Considering the eclectic, literate, and refined crowds frequenting salons, it is no wonder that an abundance of literature was birthed during its tenures. We can, perhaps, get a whiff of their fragrant conversations in scattered novels, letters, and memoirs. Such letters were written by brilliant conversationalists and offered a rare, yet rich description of life during a particular period. The most remembered witty and vivid collection of letters was by Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné with her daughter and several of her acquaintances. In her letter dated 6th August 1677, she recounts court life that is bemused by fairytales and opera:
“Mme de Coulanges, who has come here to pay me a gracious visit that will last until tomorrow, wanted to acquaint us with the stories that are currently amusing the ladies of Versailles: that is called cajoling them. She cajoled us then, and told us about a green island, where a princess more beautiful than the day was being brought up; it was the fairies who breathed on her at every moment.”
Mademoiselle Marie-Jeanne L’Héritier de Villandon was the niece of renowned French fairy tale writer Charles Perrault, in addition to having a historian as a father and a poetess as a sister. Brought up amidst a literary-rich environment, she had befriended many fairytale writers during her visits to the literary salons in Paris. Her creativity and intellect caught the attention of the affluent Marie d’Orleans-Longueville, Duchess of Nemours, who eventually became her patron. During her lifetime, she published several popular fairy tales, often drawing inspiration from salon culture to craft the refined conversations where word-play and collaborative exchange were popular amongst the salons’ habitués.
Amidst this fanciful setting, a love story bloomed between Julie d’Angennes, the daughter of the Marquise de Rambouillet, and Charles de Sainte-Maure, Duc de Montausier. To win her heart, Montausier dreamed up a most resplendent gift –a book of specially crafted love poems celebrating his beloved Julie, named “La Guirlande de Julie”, or Julie’s Garland. The book is currently owned by the National Library of France and has been digitized for admirers to revel in.
This exquisite masterpiece is interspersed with stunning floral illustrations and short love poems, bound together with a spectacularly illustrated garland of flowers on the book cover. Using the symbolism of flowers to sing madrigals about Julie’s beauty and virtue, the poems draw inspiration from the beauty of various flowers, such as roses, narcissuses, lilies, tulips, violets, jasmines, hyacinths, and orange blossoms. This jewel of a book came about with much tenderness, soliciting the most gifted artists of the day, such as the botanical painter Nicolas Robert and the calligrapher Nicolas Jarry. A number of the salon’s best talents were commissioned to craft the delicate and amorous love poems, such as Georges de Scudéry, Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin, and Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux. One poem composed by Desmarets writes:
“Free of ambition, I hide in the grass,
Modest in my color, modest in my abode,
But if on your brow I can see myself one day
The humblest of Flowers will be the proudest.”
With such intellectual rambunctiousness, the Marquise de Rambouillet has set the bar high for salons. Its very concept is alluring – dedicating gorgeous venues to bring together the cultured elite. Its activities have enabled the artistic and literary circles to find inspiration, exchange avant-garde ideas, engage in intellectual discourses and conversations on a multitude of topics, broaden their horizons and visions, find affinity with similar-minded souls, enjoy recognition for their deepest emotions and thoughts, network with potential patrons, and inspire them to make improvements in their lives and others.
Thereafter, salon culture thrived and spurred the birth of many prominent salons all over the world, from Europe to the US and the Arab world. It has been particularly fascinating to recognize the role of women in establishing these salons, oftentimes hosting them in their own living rooms, and advancing society’s intellectual frontiers.
The salon culture flourished during the nineteenth-century in the United States, spurred by cliques of middle to upper-middle class women. In 1868, a group of accomplished women convened in a newly formed society to discuss history, literature, science and the fine arts. Its members viewed reading noteworthy literature as a pivotal step towards ‘self-culture’; a type of practice aimed at cultivating one’s own intellect, virtue, and character. They named their group ‘Sorosis’ after a type of fruit which forms a collection of flowers. Soon, similar groups started sprawling across the country and they placed a high value on promoting education amongst women by providing university scholarships, establishing public libraries, and giving credence to women’s intellectual contributions.
Over the years, many writers formed their own tightly-knit literary groups with fellow authors. The Bloomsbury Group, based in London from 1907 to 1930, was a famous literary circle consisting of London’s artistic and literary luminaries. The group was split into two different circles; the writers and artists. Every Thursday, members of the writers’ group met at painter Vanessa Bell and her siblings’ home at the bohemian Bloomsbury neighborhood of London, while the artistic group met on Fridays. During the meetings, a number of important activities took place between the members, namely engaging in sparkling intellectual conversations, exchanging ideas, critiquing works, discussing the latest developments in the arts and literary worlds, organizing art exhibitions, and supporting one another’s creative pursuits.
Many of the Bloomsbury members were considered prominent intellectuals and trendsetters in their fields, marking their contributions in the arts and literary worlds. Famous members included writer Virginia Woolf, fiction writer E. M. Forster, painters Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, economist John Maynard Keynes, publisher Leonard Woolf, and art critic Clive Bell. One of their key contributions has been supporting young artists and exhibiting their works. As a result of this work, The London Artists Association was consequently established to provide artists with a means to selling their works. Likewise, members also spurred the establishment of the Contemporary Art Society, which aimed at raising funds to purchase contemporary artworks for galleries and museums. Furthermore, the Hogarth Press was setup in 1917 by Leonard and Virginia Woolf to publish the works of contemporary writers, including T. S. Eliot, Katherine Mansfield, and E. M. Forster.
Meanwhile, 1920’s Paris attracted an influx of contemporary writers, lured by the city’s chic beauty and countless cultural treasures. One of the most famous literary groups at the time was the Stratford-on-Odeon, which included American writer Ernest Hemingway, Irish novelist James Joyce, American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, and American novelist, art collector, and poetess Gertrude Stein as members. These luminaries regularly convened at the fabled Shakespeare & Company bookshop, which set a beautiful backdrop for conversing and critiquing each other’s works. Collectively, they have made a significant contribution to the literary realm with their seminal works.
In the Arab world, the Lebanese-Palestinian writer May Elias Ziadeh regularly hosted a literary salon at her parents’ home in Cairo for twenty-three years from 1913 to 1936. Many remarkable luminaries attended her salon over the years, including Egyptian writer and intellectual Taha Hussein, lawyer and intellectual Ahmed Lutfi Al Sayyid, and the Prince of Poets Ahmed Shawqi. With such a cultured elite group regularly convening every Tuesday, it was a respectable space to engage in intellectual discourses with other thought-provoking figures. The setting was also conducive to this discourse, with the presence of an overflowing library, paintings, and musical instruments to set the mood.
Modern literary salons still deliver that promise of enlightenment and enchantment, bringing together hordes of fascinating writers to connect with their book-loving audiences. Salons have enjoyed a recent renaissance due to their unique formats in convening people who long for intellectual and profound conversations that revolve on the breadth of human experiences. From closely-knit arts seminars in art galleries, intimate book clubs, live poetry afternoons – these gatherings always infuse their audiences with something otherworldly that can only be derived from creative works. Not only could enthusiasts expand their knowledge, but they could also refine their tastes in subliminal works, find similar-minded aficionados, and enhance the quality of their lives.
For instance, British writer and playwright Damian Barr’s Literary Salon celebrates the world’s best authors through live readings, sharing personal stories, and book signings. The salon is hosted at the legendary Savoy hotel in London, set amidst the glittering Lancaster ballroom, with its nostalgic baby blue walls and sparkling chandeliers that remind us of the Hôtel de Rambouillet. The salon’s impressive themes cover a range of important areas, such as how families face predicaments, great libraries in literature, and reinvigorating the creative process. One of its most fascinating events is the monthly bibliotherapy session with Ella Berthoud, who prescribes the perfect collection of books to improve one’s mood or answer a perplexing existential question. The Literary Salon also has a delightful podcast channel that includes over a hundred interviews with writers, such as Jojo Moyes, Amor Towles, Harriet Evans, David Mitchell, and Eoin Colfer. The salon’s brand also finds itself on TV with The Big Scottish Book Club show and Damian Barr conversing with some of the biggest names in the literary world.
Every visit to London has to include a special afternoon tea at the Ham Yard Hotel. Everything about its library beckons you to lounge on the comfy sofa, relax by the fireplace, and luxuriate in one of the engrossing selections on display. The library, I must say, is absolutely gorgeous, containing a stunning collection of hand-picked books to “inspire, entertain, and better inform” and covering a wide selection of topics related to London, such as its history, literature, culture, arts, in addition to world history, global issues, and travel. Firmdale Hotels, which owns the property and an exquisite collection of boutique hotels in London and New York City, runs a literary salon in their venues. Interestingly, its owner and interior designer, Kit Kemp, has ensured that her hotels include a cozy library or drawing room reminiscent of British estate homes. The Ham Yard Hotel has hosted regular book salons in these elegant spaces, inviting authors to read an excerpt from their books, followed by guest conversations, and a book signing. A special series of children’s salons are held on Saturdays during the school holidays and are paired with afternoon tea at the premises.
Oprah’s Book Club, launched by the mesmerizing TV host Oprah Winfrey in 1996, is another fantastic example of garnering fans across the globe in a shared interest in the written word. A renowned bibliophile, Oprah’s profound love for reading has been contagious enough to reverberate to millions of fans. Perhaps her most endearing quality is the way she connects with writers on a profound level, delving into interesting revelations, personal stories, and controversial issues facing people of different classes or races. Oprah has also inspired people to create their own intimate book clubs with friends to connect more deeply over fantastic books. By reading more, Oprah hints at the wonderful possibilities for self-improvement, which is uniquely a choice people can make to improve the quality of their lives.
More than two decades since its inception, her recommended book list includes 92 titles, which propelled them to bestselling lists after their debut on her TV show. Her selections include Tara Road by Maeve Binchy, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende, The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou, The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard, and Wild by Cheryl Strayed.
By convening an illuminated group of individuals, we can certainly bask in this shared brilliance to elevate our human experience, expand our imagination, and craft lives as wondrous as the heroes of our books. It is why literary salons deserve an audacious and welcomed revival in society.
Published in Shawati magazine.
© Image Credit: Ayman alakhras/Shutterstock.com