Before moving into the elegant apartment at 7 Rue Edmond Valentin in the 7th arrondissement, it required renovations, so James and Nora left Paris for a holiday in Belgium for six months.
Back on the Left Bank, Joyce moved into the apartment on 10 February, after staying at La Résidence at 41 Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie for almost two weeks.
The apartment is located in the esteemed Gros-Caillou quarter, close to the River Seine, the Eiffel Tower, and the Musée du quai Branly Jacques Chirac— the Quai Branly Museum. The museum opened in 2006 with a collection of indigenous art from around the world, but in the 1930s it was the location of several government buildings—nothing that Joyce would find significant.
The restaurant Chez Francis is close by. Across the River Seine to the Right Bank, taking eleven minutes from his apartment, is the restaurant Chez Francis at 7 Place de l’Alma, established in 1858, where it still exists.
James Joyce stayed in this location for five years from 10 February 1935 to 14 April 1939. This is the second longest residency in Paris, after 2 Square de Robiac, which is a few streets nearby.
James Joyce Paris Residence: Number 16 out of 18.
Photographer: Martina Nicolls