The Seine flows through every aspect of daily life in Paris. From its legendary origins in the story of Sequana, the Gallo-Roman healing goddess who gave it its name, to its myriad reflections in art, literature, music, and film, this fabled river defines and shapes the essence of a great city—and our imagination’s vision of it.  

Join longtime New York Times foreign correspondent Elaine Sciolino on a visual trip down the Seine. Drawing on her new book The Seine: The River that Made Paris, she explores the Seine through its rich history and follows it from the remote plateaus of Burgundy through Paris and to the sea. With evocative photos and videos of art, architecture, historical figures, and everyday people, Sciolino takes you from the source of the river, a tiny little stream in a village outside of Dijon, to the modern city of Le Havre where it empties into the English Channel. She shares her experiences patrolling with river police, rowing with a restorer of antique boats, sipping champagne at a vineyard along the river, and even daring to go for a swim.

As she offers a vivid portrait of the world’s most irresistible river, she spotlights the role the Seine plays in the works of Renoir, Victor Hugo, Puccini, and makers of beloved films, and recounts the dramatic story of how water from the depths of the river saved Notre-Dame from destruction during the devastating fire in April 2019.

Copies of The Seine (W.W. & Norton Company) are available for purchase.

Book Sale Information

• Purchase your copy of The Seine: The River that Made Paris by Elaine Sciolino here.
• SPECIAL NOTE: Politics and Prose is offering a 10% discount to Smithsonian Associates ticket-holders. To claim your discount, enter the code SPECIAL10 (no space between letters and numbers) in the “Coupon discount” section on Politics and Prose's check-out page.

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