Paris was occupied by German troops from June 14, 1940, to August 25, 1944: 1,533 nights. One 1000 5 100 and thirty-three nights during which the Ritz was transformed from a luxury edifice into a stomping crushed for the Nazi elite. There are a 1000 and 1 ways to recount this story; The Barman of the Ritz is a caller based connected existent facts and existent people. It is an relationship of those acheronian years successful France. But determination are grey areas successful the beingness of Frank Meier that—as René Girard puts it—intersect fictional “truth” and romanticist “lies.” The Frank Meier successful this caller is some existent and fictitious. The quality of Luciano is fictitious, conscionable arsenic that of Fersen is inspired by assorted radical successful Meier’s entourage during those years. The excerpts from Meier’s diary are my ain invention, conceived arsenic a mode to shed airy connected this bonzer life.
In this effort to recreate beingness successful Paris nether the Occupation, the purpose is little to beryllium “true” astatine each times than it is to seizure the conflicting emotions that whitethorn person preoccupied Frank Meier.
In his position, what would you person done?
*
June 13, 1940
Tomorrow, German troops volition march into Paris. France has dissolved similar a lump of sweetener successful a solid of absinthe.
Barely a period has passed since the Battle of France began. By now, the tanks and armored vehicles of Generaloberst Guderian’s panzer divisions are rolling done the forests of the Ardennes. There is warring successful Rouen. There are battles successful Senlis. The Nazis person crossed the River Marne. Since yesterday, the skies implicit the metropolis person been heavy with ominous achromatic smoke; the superior has already surrendered. It has been declared an “open city.” As for the radical of Paris, galore of them person fled. By train, by car, successful horse-drawn carts, oregon connected foot, families instrumentality lone arsenic overmuch arsenic they tin carry, leaving astir of their possessions behind. The wide exodus has gutted the city, with millions of its inhabitants scattered to the winds. Those remaining person locked themselves distant successful their apartments. The lone happening circulating successful the metropolis present is rumor.
The authorities of the French Republic fled the metropolis 2 days agone and is present based successful Tours. No much government, taxis, police, mail—no much nationalist services. Panic is spreading similar wildfire. Archives person been burned successful ministerial courtyards, portion gangs of looters plunder abandoned shops and apartments. Otherwise, the streets are empty; shops person rolled down their shutters. Paris is mired successful silence, solitude, and death.
But successful the Place Vendôme, the expansive Hôtel Ritz is inactive unfastened for business.
It is hard to judge that, lone a fortnight ago, Winston Churchill was staying successful this precise hotel. Now, the regulars person vanished. Coco Chanel has taken refuge successful Biarritz. The Duke of Windsor and his woman Wallis person flown to Spain. Barbara Hutton, née Woolworth and heiress to the Woolworth fortune, is inactive ensconced successful her first-floor suite, packing and unpacking, unsure whether to enactment oregon to go.
In the passageway that connects the 2 wings of the hotel, the Galerie des Merveilles, the boutique stores of celebrated brands that enactment its corridor person already taken connected the patina of a bygone era. Two days ago, the Bar Cambon closed its doors.
Only the Petit Bar remains open. As usual, work begins astatine 6 p.m. The decor has not changed since the time it archetypal opened: polished bar, mahogany paneling, leather lampshades, Louis XV armchairs upholstered successful eau-de-nil velvet. The bottles are impeccably arranged down the barroom similar books successful a library. This is the domain of Frank Meier, the barman of the Ritz. Austrian by birth, celebrated for his artistry with cocktails and worshipped by the astir refined drinkers successful Europe and America, the antheral is simply a fable successful the satellite of luxury. His pencil mustache, his fastidious gestures, and his twinkling eyes are astatine slightest arsenic celebrated arsenic his drinks. On the eve of the German invasion, helium is down his bar—his achromatic overgarment crisp and achromatic necktie neat—as helium has been for the past 20 years.
It was Frank himself who opened this barroom successful 1921, and helium is determined to enactment nary substance the cost, contempt the Germans, contempt the autumn of France. He tries to look aloof, but contiguous the barman of the Ritz is astatine a loss. Troubled. Beneath his affable demeanor, the signs of interest and fearfulness are opening to show. Frank Meir has spent a beingness moving from his past, cautiously concealing his heritage, though radical did not look to care.
People conscionable spot maine arsenic a barman, idiosyncratic who’s bully with his hands, a deity of bottles. It’s arsenic if I’ve ever been here, arsenic if I was calved down the bar.
But Frank Meier was not calved down the bar. And though helium present feels acold removed from his roots, helium has a secret: helium is simply a Jew.
Tonight, his lone customer, Otto von Habsburg, the deposed heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is drowning his sorrows successful gin. The Nazis person enactment a terms connected his caput and helium has nary prime but to flee. Tonight. So, Otto sits astatine the extremity of the counter, ruminating connected the past weeks, past downs his solid of Gordon’s. Slowly, the Royal Prince of Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia gets to his feet and places his spindly arms astir the barman, who is aged capable to beryllium his father. Frank stiffens. The clasp feels similar an ending. Otto von Habsburg bids farewell to Europe; successful a fewer days’ time, helium volition beryllium successful Washington. The barman of the Ritz watches arsenic his past lawsuit of the aged satellite disappears.
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From The Barman of the Ritz by Philippe Collin. Used with support of the publisher, Scribner. Copyright © 2026 by Philippe Collin.
English (US) ·