iheartbooksj

Oh to be a sleepy cat in the bookstore,

“Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do any harm to the world.” For my first blog post, I wanted to share one of the favourtite quotes and the story of the cat in the Shakespeare & Company bookstore in Paris. Firstly, the quote, I love it because it allows me to imagine a world where people do nothing but read and dance wouldn’t this be wonderful? Moving on, the cat in the Parisian bookstore. If you’re standing in line at the Shakespeare & Company bookstore you might peruse the titles on the worn spines of the books collected on the outdoor table and you also might notice a sign that reads “We kindly ask that you refrain from photography while inside the bookshop. Aggie the cat is currently on her summer holiday, but see if you can spot our resident owl, Hedwig, while you’re here!” How does a cat come to be a resident of an intimate historical bookstore in the Latin Quarter of Paris? The following story is taken directly from the Shakespeare & Company Instagram;

“On a particularly blustery winter’s night, 8 years ago, our booksellers found this small and world-weary beauty curled up in our Mystery section. 

Save for a ripped ear and a kink in her tail, there were no clues as to where she’d come from. All attempts to discover her origins came to nothing. So she adopted us, and we named her Agatha – in honour of the original Queen of Mystery herself, Agatha Christie.

Aggie was a natural-born orator – and quickly became notorious for interrupting events and staff meetings, and for waking-up sleeping Tumbleweeds with her chatty demeanor. She also had an uncanny ability for searching out the people who most needed a moment of calm and affection, and spent countless happy hours curled up on the laps of readers in our library.” 

I expected nothing less than this adorable origin story for Aggie the cat, having visited in late October I should have seen her, but I didn’t. I would like to think that being the busy afternoon it was, she found a small warm nook, maybe by the second-floor piano where there was a boy playing a melody or by the mismatched velvet chairs near the antique collectible epics. You can imagine my heartbreak when I discovered that Aggie, had passed away.

“This Hallowe’en, when the veil between our world and the next was at its thinnest, Aggie crossed over peacefully and without pain, in the arms of the colleagues who loved her.

Thank you to everyone around the world who was part of her long and very happy life. 

She loved and was loved.”

I believe that Aggie’s presence will live on in the memories of the readers she charmed and curled up within her years as the resident bookstore cat. It’s comforting to imagine that Aggie was a lovely warm friend to the countless lecteurs experiencing the story in their book for the first time. Rest in peace, Aggie. 

First blog post, I’m so happy you’re here! 🙂