Who else ? Who else but Philippe Delerm could talk about the city of New York without having ever set foot there? The representative of the “literary snapshot” tackles the emblematic and charismatic New York City to share his very personal representation, built on foundations much less solid than the concrete of skyscrapers.
This is what he manages to do in his instantly recognizable style: a guide that is hardly touristic, but above all dreamed of, even fantasized, from the films of Woody Allenphotographs of Vivian Maier, the atmosphere of the marathon or West Side Story, and many other elements.
If the change of scenery is real, the frustration of the reader who already knows the city too: there would be an undeniable pleasure in rediscovering New York with the author, to confront his representation with the reality of a megalopolis in perpetual motion. It would not be NYC the real subject but “Philippe Delerm finally discovers New York”, he who in the past has already refused several times the opportunities to go to the big apple, to meet the objective of his book . What would he think of the permanent construction sites that trap the city? Of the incredible calm that certain neighborhoods offer during the day when he describes the city by its abundance and its agitation? Of all that he imagines and writes in a theoretical and non-empirical way?
I thought back to my own “snapshot” of New York, an article written about Chelsea Market : it is pragmatic, factual, experienced. No doubt Chelsea Market has changed ten times since then. It surely no longer resembles my memories, just as the New York that Delerm describes does not exist. New York sans New York is ultimately a tourist fiction told by an imaginary traveler. One would almost wish the author weren’t more frustrated with his avoidance of one of the most fascinating cities on the planet.
Philippe Delerm – New York without New York – editions Threshold.
