Hollywood: Mecca of the Movies

Blaise Cendrars, one of twentieth—century France's most gifted men of letters, came to Hollywood in 1936 for the newspaper Paris—Soir. Already a well—known poet, Cendrars was a celebrity journalist whose perceptive dispatches from the American dream factory captivated millions. These articles were later published as Hollywood: Mecca of the Movies, which has since appeared in many languages. Remarkably, this is its first translation into English.

Hollywood in 1936 was crowded with stars, mogu...