Flaneuse

*Shortlisted for the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay*

Selected as a Book of the Year 2016 by the Financial Times, Guardian, New Statesman, Observer, The Millions and Emerald Street

''Fl¿use [flanne-euhze], noun, from the French. Feminine form of fl¿ur [flanne-euhr], an idler, a dawdling observer, usually found in cities.

That is an imaginary definition.''

If the word fl¿ur conjures up visions of Baudelaire, boulevards and bohemia ¿ then what exactly is a fl¿use?

In this gloriously provocative and celebratory book, Lauren Elkin defines her as ¿a determined resourceful woman keenly attuned to the creative potential of the city, and the liberating possibilities of a good walk¿. Part cultural meander, part memoir, Fl¿i>neuse traces the relationship between the city and creativity through a journey that begins in New Yo