Antibes: a city that invites you to write
Nestled between ancient ramparts and the marine horizon, Antibes offers a singular setting. Old Antibes, with its narrow alleys and sun-weathered facades, imposes a different sense of time. Here, one observes, slows down, and lingers. The ever-present sea structures the days and opens the imagination. Over time, this unique atmosphere has drawn writers seeking light, perspective, and precision.
Jacques Audiberti: Antibes as a point of origin
Born in Antibes in 1899, Jacques Audiberti maintained a carnal and foundational bond with the city. To him, Antibes was not a postcard; it was a substance. His work, marked by a baroque and exuberant language, is irrigated by his native Mediterranean. In his book "La Poupée" or his poetic collections, one can feel that "Antibes-ness" (antibonité) that shaped his style.
"Antibes is my city. It is in me like the pit is in the fruit."
The city acts as an intimate anchor. The raw light and the rhythm of the coastline nourish a dense, sometimes abstract prose, yet one always inhabited by Southern vitality. To discover his connection to the town, one must read "Le Mur du fond", where childhood memories rise to the surface of the Antibois cobblestones.
Guy de Maupassant: Antibes through the traveler’s eyes
A great traveler and a master of precision, Guy de Maupassant discovered Antibes from the sea. Aboard his yacht, the aptly named "Bel-Ami", he sailed along the coast and recorded his impressions in his travelogue "Sur l’eau" (1888). He described his arrival in Antibes with almost mystical admiration:
"I had never seen anything as striking and as beautiful as this line of the Alps in the background, and this little town of Antibes in the foreground, on this blue sea, in this beautiful sun."
For Maupassant, Antibes was a stone sentinel. He admired the silhouette of the city etched against the snow-capped peaks of the Alps—a striking contrast he captured with a painter's sensitivity.
F. Scott Fitzgerald: the Riviera as a romantic backdrop
In the 1920s, the American "Lost Generation" took up residence at Cap d’Antibes. F. Scott Fitzgerald, staying at Villa Marie (which would later become the Hôtel Belles Rives) in Juan-les-Pins, drew from this effervescence to write his masterpiece, "Tender Is the Night".
The mythical Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc became the "Hôtel des Étrangers" under his pen. The brilliant light of La Garoupe beach and the melancholy sweetness of summer evenings permeate every page. Fitzgerald captured the fragile elegance of an era, where the Mediterranean setting served as a mirror to his characters' inner turmoil.
Guillaume Musso: Antibes as a contemporary setting
A native son born in Antibes, Guillaume Musso uses his hometown as a character in its own right. In several of his thrillers, such as "The Reunion" (La Jeune Fille et la Nuit), the plot is anchored directly in the landscapes of the Côte d'Azur.
"I grew up with the sea as my horizon and the ramparts as my protection," he has often shared in interviews.
In his novels, Antibes is never a mere backdrop. It participates in the narrative tension: the discreet alleys of the Safranier district hide secrets, and the marine horizon becomes the stage for disappearances or reunions. For Musso, Antibes offers the ideal contrast between the apparent tranquility of a seaside resort and the shadows of historical or family mysteries.
A diverse and timeless inspiration
Through these four perspectives, Antibes reveals itself as multifaceted. Far from a frozen setting, it acts as a discreet but powerful source of inspiration, born of vivid light and Mediterranean slowness. Today, this capacity to inspire remains intact. Much like Villa Miraé, Antibes is best discovered through attention and the gift of time. It is a sanctuary where one comes as much to stay as to escape, to read, and finally, to let ideas be born.