During the années folles following World War I, Paris underwent a creative fever that brought artists and intellectuals from around the world to the City of Light. The bohemian charms of Montparnasse attracted artists such as Picasso, Chagall, and Giacometti, while a vibrant café culture provided a forum for disputes between Dadaists and Surrealists and gave rise to a group of expa­triate writers. The creative energy was all-encompassing, establishing Paris as the epicenter of new trends in the arts, a position it would occupy until World War II. This newest title in a celebrated series addresses such diverse topics as aesthetics, literature, the changing role of women, and the transformation of avant-garde culture.

Vincent Bouvet is an art historian specializing in 19th- and 20th-century decorative arts.

Gérard Durozoi, a French philosopher and art historian, is editor of a dictionary of modern and contemporary art and author of the acclaimed History of the Surrealist Movement.