Text fr. - In contrast to Michael Koetzle’s „Eyes on Paris (2011) this book concentrates on books published in Paris, and less on books published on Paris. The author includes, however, works e.g. by Man Ray published in Hartford, Connecticut. So the author’s selection is rather more on the period, with a heavy weight on French in general and more specific on Paris connotations. As such it is a pleasure to look and read.
Text engl. - "Christer Strömholm (1918–2002) was one of the great photographers of the 20th century. This book presents his most powerful and acclaimed body of work: Les Amies de Place Blanche, a documentation of transsexual "ladies of the night" in Paris in the 1960s. Arriving in Paris in the late 1950s, Strömholm settled in Place Blanche in the heart of the city's red-light district. There, he befriended and photographed young transsexuals struggling to live as women and to raise money for sex-change operations. Strömholm's surprisingly intimate portraits and lush Brassaï-like night scenes form a magnificent, dark, and at times quite moving photo album, a vibrant tribute to these girls, the "girlfriends of Place Blanche." The photographs were first published in Sweden in 1983."