Les Deux Magots (French pronunciation: [le dø maɡo]) is a famous café in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area of Paris, France. It once had a reputation as the rendezvous of the literary and intellectual élite of the city. It is now a popular tourist destination. Its historical reputation is derived from the patronage of Surrealist artists, intellectuals such as Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre, and young writers, such as Ernest Hemingway. Other patrons included Albert Camus and Pablo Picasso.
The Deux Magots literary prize has been awarded to a French novel every year since 1933.
The 6th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements (administrative districts) of the capital city of France. It includes world famous educational institutions such as the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris and the Académie française, the seat of the French Senate as well as a concentration of some of Paris most famous monuments such as Saint-Germain Abbey and square, St. Sulpice Church and square, the Pont des Arts or the Jardins du Luxembourg.
Situated on the left bank of the River Seine, this central arrondissement which includes the historic districts of Saint-Germain-des-Prés (surrounding the Abbey founded in the 6th century) and Luxembourg (surrounding the Palace and its Gardens) has played a major role throughout Paris history and is well-known for its café culture and the revolutionary intellectualism (see: Existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir) and literature (see: Paul Eluard, Boris Vian, Albert Camus, Francoise Sagan) it has hosted.