| What is often remembered as the golden era of Paris' neighbourhood of Saint-Germain-des-Pres (1945-1960) is a myth, an imaginary truth, that is, a mix of facts and representations. Combined, these facts and representations contributed to creating an idealized world. Thanks to the residents of Saint-Germain-des-Pres, the media, the photographs, the filmmakers, the writers, and also the professional and amateur historians, the mythology that surrounds this neighbourhood has survived until today. This mythology has never been called into question because historians have not seriously studied the so-called golden era of Saint-Germain-des-Pres. Important aspects of this history have been overlooked because they did not correspond to the idealized image that those who have written on this topic wanted to promote. Some of these aspects appeared threatening as they hurt sensibilities regarding race, class, feminine sexuality, homosexuality, narcotics, etc. Instead, a more fashionable, cultural and intellectual portrayal of this neighbourhood and its regular visitors has been presented. The lack of studies examining the history of Saint-Germain-des-Pres explains the nostalgia that people who visited this neighbourhood between 1945 and 1960, as well as many others who wished they were among these privileged people, have felt since the end of that period. The main goal of this dissertation is to present a much more realistic image of Saint-Germain-des-Pres and to emphasize forgotten aspects of its history that were part of the day-to-day life of its residents and its regular visitors.;Keywords: Saint-Germain-des-Pres, myth, representation, Paris, France, cultural, artistic, intellectual, historiography, historian, cellar, media, youth, generation, jazz, musicians, gender, sexuality, homosexuality, drugs, police, existentialist, marketing, star system, snobbery, bohemia, liberation, revolution, tourists, scandal, fashionable, Blacks, workers, hussards, Catholics, film, photography, literature, television, radio. |
