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If there is one person who might make you fall in love with books in an AI-influenced era, it might be the well-versed Addison Kirst, founder of des pair books. But to get to her bookstore, you’ll have to travel east of LA, passing through neighborhoods filled with Alo-clad ambassadors and G-Wagons, to the diverse and creative Echo Park neighborhood. Since its launch in 2019, des pair embodies more of a space reminiscent of a Paris salon than a bookstore, cultivating a creative and intellectual scene. Reflecting on today’s culture and literature, Kirst notes, “Culture is in love with the idea of literature right now. I see it in fashion, beauty, it's all over. I’m just not sure this obsession is making us any smarter,” she wonders.
To Kirst, books are a way to connect intimately. “Giving books as gifts is sexy!” she adds, “It’s such a personal gesture that requires you to really consider the recipient’s tastes—what films, music, or stories resonate with them.” With only a few copies of curated books like Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro by Kazuo Ishiguro, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, and Conquest of the Useless: Reflections from the Making of Fitzcarraldo by Werner Herzog, Kirst’s curated collection aims to intrigue and start conversations. “I always ask for a review once they’ve finished, especially if they hated it. It makes for a better discussion afterwards.”
Kirst’s inclination for curated culture is reflected throughout des pair. Influenced by her taste and previous work as an archivist at Gagosian in Beverly Hills and Upper East Side, Kirst has also complemented des pair’s books with contemporary artwork by artists like Daniel Johnston, Jarret Rubin, and Elijah Anderson - works that continue to invite conversation and reflection. In the Fall of 2022, des pair expanded to a second location inside the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in West Hollywood.
At des pair, you might find yourself listening to an author read an excerpt from the top of des pair’s spiral staircase or attending an artist’s opening night, surrounded by des pair’s eclectic crowd spilling out to the streets. Against a backdrop of LA’s creative scene, creative, curious locals and newcomers engage in lively conversations, all connected by the space that des pair has built.
So, come for books and stay for the community.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY NOLAN KNIGHT
1.
Becky Kim: Can you describe your approach to curating both the books and the art exhibitions at Des Pair Books? What criteria do you use to select the pieces and titles that make it to the store?
Addison Kirst: des pair is really an extension of my brain so the book curation, the artists we work with, and our merch reflect that to some extent. I’m grateful to have a place to highlight artists and authors I admire.
resi vase from Corsi Design Factory
inside des pair books
des pair swag
2.
BK: Are there any new cultural or literary trends that have caught your eye in this past year? What impact do you think these trends have on the way people engage with literature today?
AK: Culture is in love with the idea of literature right now. I see it in fashion, beauty, it's all over. I’m just not sure this obsession is making us any smarter.
3.
BK: What is one of the best and most memorable gifts you’ve received?
AK: My parents gave me a Flip video camera when I was 10 years old. I shot and edited so many shorts (all starring my twin brother as a girl), and I remember feeling uninhibited by any limitations, as if anything was possible creatively.
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4.
BK: Over the years I’ve always loved receiving gifts as a book. How do you approach gift-giving for a literary recipient?
AK: Giving books as gifts is sexy! It’s such a personal gesture that requires you to really consider the recipient’s tastes—what films, music, or stories resonate with them. I always ask for a review once they’ve finished, especially if they hated it. It makes for a better discussion afterwards.
I like getting direction from people before blindly making recommendations but some books I’ve read this year and enjoyed are; Theorem by Pier Paolo Pasolini, Capital of Pain by Paul Éluard, Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig, The History of Bones by John Lurie, Disgrace by JM Coetzee.
Addison's Gift Recommendations
DONATION TO LA ANIMAL SHELTER
An excellent gift for the person who already has everything
$Price Varies
CATHERINE MULLIGAN
An anthology that des pair published last summer. Something spooky/pink for the coffee table stack
$45
YEAR-LONG MEMBERSHIP TO THE AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE
Incredible film programming with frequent Q & As with directors
$85+/year
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5.
BK: If you could invite your favorite writer and artist to dinner, who would you choose?
AK: I would invite Camille Paglia to dinner with Foucault because I love a little drama <3 And then Andy Cohen would show up for dessert and fire questions at them.
6.
BK: What’s a memory if you could give as an experience you would?
AK: Probably when I was stuck in an elevator with Gwen Stefani and told her I bleached my hair because of her. I would give that experience to someone else if it meant I could forget it ever happened.
7.
BK: What’s your favorite word? Least favorite?
AK: Favorite: I’mtired. Least Favorite: [REDACTED]
TERA's
CULTURE SHIFTERS
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