Rent rises force revered LGBT bookshop out of Paris`s gay district
(The Guardian Books News)

Les Mots à La Bouche´s move from the Marais shows loss of cultural heritage, activists say In the window of France´s best-known gay bookshop, above the display of Lucian Freud art books, opera singer Maria Callas´s memoirs and a history of the Pride movement, a poster warns in giant red letters: `Cultural heritage in danger.` An urgent note on the door adds: `We need your help!`Les Mots à La Bouche, a 40-year-old Paris institution, is the top LGBT bookshop in France and considered one of the best in the world - a focal point of Paris´s historic gay neighbourhood in the Marais district. But as property speculation in central Paris reaches dizzying heights - it is estimated that at certain times of year there are more Airbnb rentals than residents in the Marais - the bookshop is being forced out by rising rents. Continue reading...