Paris:- Sunday, 9. March 1997:- Shortly after the beginning of the month I try to pass the Paris Tourist Office on the Champs- Elysées and pick up the month's program in the form of their magazine, 'Paris Selection.' These are free to anyone who asks for one.

Going by last Friday makes me a bit late this month - but I will try and make up for it, for those of you planning visits to coincide with Easter at the end of the month.

The 'PTO' has another magazine available - 'Paris, Le Journal.' Although it is mainly edited for Parisians, I get a copy of it too. Until last December, it had a good section for the month's events in each arrondissement, but this feature has been discontinued. I am not happy about it; nor are the mayors of each of the city's 20 arrondissements and I hope the city will restore it.

The reporting of coming events in Paris is a little industry, due to the size of the subject. Newspapers, magazines, radio and television all devote space and time for it, and some publications do nothing else.

Metropole, on the other hand, does do other things. For this reason 'Coming Events' are not a high priority. Readers do write occasionally, indicating that they are reading them and perhaps are planning to participate in some way, but usually the writers want to know something specific rather than general.

If I can, I try to reply directly. Wait! Hold it! There are some restrictions: I can only give information about coming events within the month - next month's events are generally beyond the scope of the sources I have. Also there are many local events of considerable interest; that I read about in today's Le Parisien, that are happening today or tomorrow.

I can't do long-range, and although I could do 'short-range,' you would have to read Metropole every day to keep up with it. And I don't see many of you jumping on the Concorde at the last minute to catch an interesting auction at Drouot. As fast as Concorde is, it can't beat the clock flying east.

This Week's Coming Events

The 17th Annual Salon du Livre
From Wednesday, 12. March until Sunday, 16. March. Professionals in the trade have Monday, 17. March reserved for them. Every day from 10:00 to 19:00; Thursday until 23:00. Entry price: 30 francs. At Paris-Expo, Porte de Versailles. Métro: line 12, station Porte de Versailles or line 8, station Balard. Buses: lines 39, 42, 49 and PC. Telephone information: 08 36 68 00 51. (This is a French version of an '800' number with the difference that it costs 2.23 F HT a minute, probably to listen to a robot answer machine.)

This year the country of honor is Japan, which will be present in Le Pavillon Japonaise - including an Espace Librairie and an Espace Animations. More than 20 Japanese authors will be present during the salon, participating in conferences and discussions and various other animations, such as readings from their works.

There are six salons in one, filling up all of Hall One and all or part of Hall Two, accessible by a bridge over the avenue Ernest Renan. These six are:

- Le Salon du Livre - More than 200,000 visitors will take a look at the wares of 1,200 publishers, including 300 foreign ones. Over 800 authors will be present during the salon, taking part in some 200 conferences and book signings. The other five 'salons' will have 1,800 exhibitors.

- Le Salon de la Revue - these are the 'little' magazines, of every color, from serious to frivolous, from traditional to modern.

- Le 7e Salon des Métiers et des Industries du Livre - this 'salon' presents the professionals: the suppliers, the printers.

- Le 5e Salon du Multimedia et de l'Edition Electronique - features CD-ROM publishers, computer manufacturers, ISPs, and, I imagine, one or two software publishers.

- Le Salon du Lycéen et l'Etudiant - the publications directed to students and their publishers.

- Le Salon de la Vidéo - will showcase the 10,000 video cassettes on offer in France plus the new Digital Video Disc.

For the first time at the Salon du Livre, there will be 20 antique book dealers with stands to present their rare editions.

Other areas of special attention will be the, now traditional, 'Way of Human Rights;' a science section, one for religious publications, another for poetry, a large section for comic-album publishers, one for 'Young' publishers, a section for 'Erotica,' and for the second year, publishers of braille will have a stand with publications and voice-activated computers.

There will be literary cafés and bars, a cybercafé and cybermômes (which is a organized place to dump kids), and forums of authors presented by a host of periodical publishers.

In niches and crannies, and right on up to the big publishers' stands, there will be authors of thrillers, African publishers, a theatre, and an international space for foreign publishers.

A report about the Salon du Livre will appear in the next issue of Metropole, if I can get the ink off my fingers by then.

The Salon du Livre has a Web site.

Some Other Current/Coming Events

Oh! La Vache

In two-parts: an exhibition of a naïve-art collection from the Säntis mountain region of Switzerland features 'visions' of artists, and part two features more contemporary artists such as Rancillac, Speedy Graffito and Michaël Bethe-Sélassie... et al. Until Sunday, 29. June. Daily, from 10:00 to 18:00 (no weekly closing mentioned).
Musée d'Art Naïf Max Fourny - Halle Saint-Pierre
2. Rue Ronsard, Paris 18. Métro: Anvers. Tel.: 01 42 58 72 89.

Pushkin at Balzac's

Presentation of Alexandr Pushkin's life and works, featuring portrait collections and personal objects. Until Sunday, 8. June. Daily 10:00 to 17:15, except Mondays.
Maison de Balzac
47. Rue Raynouard, Paris 16. Métro: La Muette. Tel.: 01 42 24 56 38.

Picasso - Photographic Sources

This is an exhibition of Picasso's personal drawings, paintings, photographs - all unpublished - that were kept in Picasso's personal archives - the 'source' material in other words. Until Monday, 9. June. Daily from 9:30 to 17:30, except on Tuesdays.
Musée Picasso
5. Rue de Thorigny, Paris 3. Métro: Saint-Paul, St. Sébastien- Froissart or Chemin Vert. Tel.: 01 42 71 25 21.