An Irish writer’s residency in Paris: There was no-one saying to me, ‘Mum, can I have a drink?’

When novelist Olivia Fitzsimons applied for a month-long residency in the heart of Paris last year, it seemed like such a longshot, that she joked to her kids that she’d take them on a trip to Disneyland if she got in. So when she actually was selected for the artist residency programme at the Centre Culturel Irlandais (CCI) in the city’s fifth arrondissement in May of this year, she had to come good on her promise.

But if the Disneyland trip was a dream come true for her two boys (now aged 10 and 12), a month in the City of Light to focus entirely on her writing was a “magical experience” for Fitzsimons. As a working parent, making time for her fiction has been hard over the years. “I wrote mostly in the margins of time. I would put [the kids] to bed, read a story, come down and write from nine till one… Sometimes I’d be too tired. I couldn’t do it.”

After Fitzsimons’ debut novel, The Quiet Whispers Never Stop, was published to critical acclaim last year, the Wicklow-based author, who is originally from Northern Ireland, got away for short amounts of time here and there for book-promotion mini-tours. But then life got in the way and her second novel had to be put on the backburner, as family and caring responsibilities took precedence.

Her mother-in-law had a serious accident and was hospitalised and her own mother has been ill too, so Fitzsimons deferred a lot of work and her writing to be supportive. The thought of the residency sustained her through all of this, but she began to doubt if her Parisian dream was even feasible, given the extra pressure her family was under.

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She was nervous about leaving her sons too, as she had never been away from them for so long. Her eldest was fine, but her youngest (who was eight when she told him about the trip) cried at the idea of her going. “It was really hard,” she recalls. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the encouragement of her husband, she might not have gone. As a filmmaker and artist himself, he understood the benefits of residencies. “He said, ‘Look, you have really waited for this, you’ve put off doing things.’”

“CCI accommodated my request to go in May, when my sons had a full school schedule, but we had not expected my mother-in-law to become seriously ill,” Fitzsimons recalls. “All of our friends and families stepped in and helped out. I was so lucky that they understood that my time in Paris was a culmination of a long-held artistic dream.”

One aspect of the CCI programme that smoothed the path for her was, in addition to covering flights and accommodation for a month, it came with a stipend of €750. This stipend meant Fitzsimons could afford to take on less freelancing work while she was away. “It doesn’t come without risk, without saying no to lots of things.” But the risk seemed worth it. And so she took the plunge.

When she arrived at the CCI, along with artists from all over Ireland, she discovered it was located behind the triangle where Emily in Paris is filmed, right beside the Pantheon. Apart from luxuriating in the atmospheric setting, what did she do during her time there? For one thing, she filled her creative well and then some.

She attended a raft of incredible events organised by CCI director Nora Hickey M’Sichili, each of which would constitute a pinch-me moment for anyone with a literary leaning. Among the highlights was a talk given at the CCI by the Booker Prize-winner Anne Enright, whom Fitzsimons describes as “witty, warm and wise”.

And, while attending a Deborah Levy event at the iconic Shakespeare and Company bookshop on the banks of the Seine, Fitzsimons had a surreal moment when she saw her own novel stocked on the shelves. “It was a real thrill.”

She also fitted in a varied mix of other cultural experiences. In the new book she’s working on, one of her characters is obsessed with art, so she spent a lot of time in galleries like the Musée D’Orsay and the Louvre. She attended the cinema and the opera too and even visited another residency – an open studio where she got to see what artists living in the city were working on.

She got “very attached” to pottering around gorgeous public amenities like the Jardin des Plantes and the Jardin du Luxembourg. “Part of the joy for me was just walking around Paris and feeling very much like I knew places,” she says. “I walked so much in Paris, I had to find myself a shoemaker.”

Fitzsimons also followed in the footsteps of many great writers by taking advantage of the city’s café culture. Because she has had to give up gluten, she ended up going to quite a lot of unusual cafés and restaurants off the beaten track (see panel), in her search for suitable food options.

Her favourite find was a little spot called Café de la Nouvelle Mairie, located in the Emily in Paris triangle in the fifth. She says it was “very French” in that the owners only opened the café when they felt like it. During the second half of her residency, she started going there often to enjoy some lunch and read through her manuscript. In fact, she became such a regular that whenever she arrived, they would automatically bring her a glass of wine and water.

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the residency was the “alchemy” that happened when the resident artists came together, with lots of inspiring chats (with wine, naturellement) taking place around the dinner table. “I think one of the things that is so great about places like [CCI] Paris is it opens you up to new ways of thinking that you hadn’t considered, so it can only be good for the work and for you,” she explains. “Whether someone is a dance artist, theatre maker or a visual artist, we’re all trying to make something essentially from nothing by accessing our imaginations. The more ways you have of looking at that the better.”

In addition to filling the creative well with cultural experiences, and forging inspiring connections with other artists, she managed to get an astonishing amount of work done. She returned from Paris with a “very malleable, tender” first draft of her manuscript, having written about 35,000 words during her residency. She balanced this with some freelance work such as editing, commissioning essays and working on a screenwriting project.

How did she achieve such productivity? Simple: Paris gave her headspace by allowing her to step outside her domestic and caring responsibilities. “There was no-one saying to me, ‘Mum, can I have a drink?’”

Another factor, which she says most mums will identify with, is that she was always the person her children’s school would ring even though her husband was also available. But there was little point phoning her in Paris!

This headspace allowed her to get back into her manuscript, after what had been a really tough year. “Now I find it much easier to switch into the world of the novel. Before, I just didn’t. I needed to establish the connection again with the characters and the world.”

“A residency, if you’re working a fulltime job or you’re a fulltime mum or carer, can be a little shot in the arm of inspiration and creativity,” she says. “Even if you go and just read books and reconnect with who are as a person or an artist, that’s just as important. If you have the space to think about your work, that’s success.”

Not only was the experience incredibly stimulating in the moment, but it has really helped her since coming back. She listens to French pop music now to channel that magical month, and when she’s at home doing the dishes, she feels she has something to hold on to: the memories of those conversations around the dinner table in Paris. “I definitely think the joy and the positivity of the residency will carry me through.”

“I don’t think I can sing the [CCI’s] praises highly enough. What Nora does there, and all her staff, they create a special atmosphere. You’re looked after. You’re really free to create. She’s just a very, very generous person.”

And thanks to the Disneyland experience, her boys are very much in favour of writing residencies now, with Fitzsimons’ youngest asking if he can meet Lionel Messi as his reward if she goes away again. “I’m not sure writing works like that!” she laughs.

Olivia Fitzsimons’ novel The Quiet Whispers Never Stop is published by John Murray.

Olivia in Paris

To do:

Pottering around is one of the best ways to spend your time in Paris. Whether it’s people watching, or reading a book in the super comfortable green chairs scattered all over the Jardin du Luxembourg, browsing one of the many bookshops (nod to Shakespeare and Co, The Red Balloon here) or visiting an artists’ studio, at CCI or La Cité. Strolling through the Jardin des Plantes (do check out the library with a huge polar bear on display) on your way to the Seine and a stop off at the Josephine Baker Piscine for an evening swim, before having a glass of wine in one of the many gorgeous places along the river to end the evening, makes for a perfect day.

To eat: gluten free options to try

Judy Paris is a gorgeous stroll through the Jardin du Luxembourg, where you can watch children play with their sailboats on the giant ornamental pool, while Parisians read, lounge and chat on perfectly pale green metal seats all around the park. It specialises in gluten and vegan food. Sit in and takeway.

Le Pont Traverse is a restaurant and takeaway operated by the same people who run the incredible Noglu Bakery. The cafe does amazing teas, and the best gluten-free shortcrust pasty you will ever have. Try their incredible quiches, croque mousieurs and chocolate mousse.

Mimi might be the best gluten-free Italian outside of Italy: probably. Plus the lovely owner, Giulia, is a coeliac herself and spent time in Galway. The tiny space is warm and welcoming. Always busy, so book ahead.

La Crêperie is an any time of day-to-late-night crêpe and salad place with views of the Pantheon. Always full of students, tourists and locals, especially the gendarmarie, the buckwheat crepes are excellent. Great value.

Grom Gelato has the best gluten-free icecream in Paris. Kids loved it. Often queues but so worth it. Few places dotted around Paris. Even the cones are gluten free.

Café la Chaufferie, at Gare du Nord, is not specifically gluten free, but dishes can be made coeliac friendly, charming staff and about the best train station restaurant I’ve come across. It’s just across the road from the station and a perfect place to grab a bite before your train.