Volume 39, Number 9 · May 14, 1992
The Lamentable Library
By Patrice Higonnet
French politics often seem to be an extension of French culture by other means. Jack Lang, the minister of culture, was the only prominent socialist to do well in the last elections, and the plans for a new national library, the Bibliothèque de France, have continued to cause intense controversy in Paris.[1] A critical report on the new library, by a distinguished, officially appointed group, was finally made public in March, two months after the text had been submitted to the government. It called attention to serious structural problems in the current plan, particularly the original proposal to store books in the four high glass towers that stand at each corner of the building, which is to be constructed on a site overlooking the Seine, to the east of the Gare d'Austerlitz.
Feature, 1445 words
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