At the French Institute in Pristina, today the presentation of the novel “The Barman of the Ritz” was held, with the participation of the French author Philippe Collin and the Albanian-language translator, Lindita Gjatani.
The director of the institute, Edouard Mayoral, opened the event by turning the presentation into a dramatic journey to occupied Paris during the Second World War and the hidden life behind the famous walls of the Ritz Paris.
The events of the book take place at the legendary Ritz hotel, which remained open even during the Nazi occupation of 1940, turning into a meeting point for Nazis, high-ranking officials, collaborators, artists, aristocrats, and resistance members. At the center of the story is Frank Meier, the well-known bartender of the Ritz, portrayed as a devoted figure, with a thin mustache, a white jacket, and a black tie.
Meier, who hides his Jewish identity, faces great moral dilemmas as the Nazis occupy Paris. He tries to maintain normality at his workplace, keep his identity secret, and protect those at risk, becoming a “bar diplomat,” a kind of silent hero who fights for survival and dignity.
The book’s author, Philippe Collin, said that the novel reveals a unique story, built around a real character and a unique place during that time.
“In this book, I tell the story of the Ritz bartender during the occupation of Paris… This place was very special at that time, that is, during the Second World War, considering that it remained open, continued to function, and certainly there was no other place like it in Paris. Besides being open to the French public, it also had military representatives of the German army, as well as Nazis. What is special about this venue is that it is a small place with only 53 seats, and every night different guests from all walks of life come: we have Nazis, regular German soldiers, partisans, and spies. The only person who does not change every night is the bartender, who listens to and observes all these movements,” he said.
The translator of the book, Lindita Gjatani, emphasized that the novel’s perspective immerses the reader within the walls of the Ritz, where different worlds and strong human emotions collide every night.
She added that the book begins with the entry of German troops into the Ritz and ends with their departure, also bringing a special moment with the arrival of Hemingway.
“In the book ‘The Barman of the Ritz’, there is a different perspective… The events take place within the walls of the Ritz, inside the bar… over four years, from 1940–44, beginning with the entry of the Germans, the first group of Germans into the Ritz bar, where they are welcomed by Frank Meier, who had fought in the First World War and is positioned like a soldier as he receives the Germans. And the book ends with the departure of the Germans, and I will reveal only one detail, with the arrival of Hemingway. I first read the book as a reader, always picturing myself as someone sitting at the Ritz bar, next to Frank Meier, watching all of French society, all the high-ranking Nazi officials pass before my eyes. There we discover the magical and secret world of the bar, and also uncover human emotions: fear, love, hatred, melancholy, nostalgia,” said Gjatani.
The novel “The Ritz Bartender” recounts how an ordinary bartender, placed at the center of an occupied city, can turn into a silent hero who listens, observes, and survives in a world where history changes every night.