Paris. Tango. What two words evoke more feeling and conjure up a rush of romantic images in every person's mind, whether you dance tango or not, or have been to Paris or not. Combine the words: Paris Tango and you have this heady memoir told in words and pictures by the photographer/author Carla Coulson.
Carla may be known to some of you Francophiles as the sidekick photographer to author Vicki Archer whose excellent recent book My French Life, and their new book French Essence have become a staple for collectors of books about the French lifestyle. Both women are ex-pat Australians, living in France.
It goes without saying that the tango in this book, is the dance Carla does with the city of Paris. The city holds her in the eternal embrace that is the tango - connected, profound, and sensual.
The frontispiece image is of dancer from the Moulin Rouge ascending the stairs, and the image on the end paper is photo of a pair of dance shoes that look as if the dancer's feet just kicked them off. Between these images are 292 delicious pages of masterful photography of glimpses of Paris life most of us will never have the pleasure to experience. Carla Coulson is the Brassai of her generation.
The great surprise in this book is the text that goes along with the masterful photography. Carla can write! And write she does, as she weaves one fabulous story after another along with the photos, words and images that intertwine like tango dancers legs.
For some odd reason the book has not been released in the USA, and it can be ordered on Amazon UK, and now on Amazon in the USA HERE via some of the second hand booksellers. Snap up this book from one of them.
Paris Tango is a lovely volume to own with a beautiful snap closure slip case, and red ribbon book mark, which are fitting elegant touches for the elegance the pages hold inside.
I asked Carla to send me some of my favorite images from the book to share with you. There are several photos that will inspire interior design fans.
But best are the stories she weaves of a personal Paris she shares with the reader. It is amazing how ex-pats and transplants rediscover what natives know innately and express by living it daily. Outsiders who claim and adopt a place often write the most revealing back story.
Paris Tango is a magnificent book to get for yourself, or to give as a spectacular gift.
Engage in your own visual tango as you savor its pages.
All images from Carla Coulson from her book Paris Tango.
Stop by her blog and tell her hello!
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