San Francisco Through Two Books, A Movie, and A Series

Writer Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book, complained that "San Francisco has only one drawback: it is not easy to leave." Upon googling for quotes praising the Golden Gate city, one realizes how much is said about it, and how well. One of Tony Bennett's most popular songs, a true institution in the United States, is (I Left my Heart) In San Francisco. The film industry has always found the steep San Francisco streets to be photogenic. Its powerful counterculture scene has been a significant fertilizer for the proliferation of rock bands. And writers have always felt at home in the city that welcomed the Beat Generation.

On the Spotify profile of the magazine VIAJAR, you will find a playlist of songs that evoke San Francisco days and San Francisco nights.

In 1930, Hammett created one of the most popular characters in crime literature: private detective Sam Spade. The protagonist of a novel and four short stories, Spade has become a cultural icon thanks to his film portrayal by Humphrey Bogart in the 1941 feature film of the same name directed by John Huston. The Maltese Falcon was originally serialized in Black Mask magazine and the plot centers around the search for a valuable statuette in the shape of a falcon. This San Francisco investigator is considered the original model of what has become known as the hard-boiled detective, a character who does not hesitate to push the boundaries of the law. Spade's popularity has continued to grow since his inception. In addition to several film adaptations, Clive Owen recently starred in a miniseries centered on the detective.

The Beat Generation emerged in the 50s as a literary movement that laid the rebellious and libertarian foundations that would lead to the 60s hippie movement. On the Road (1951) was the bible of the beatniks. In it, Jack Kerouac fictionalized the adventures of the group's members. As its name suggests, it is a narrative in motion, taking place between New York, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, and Mexico. The narrator, Sal Paradise (a stand-in for Kerouac himself), describes the adventures of a group of friends whose lives revolve around poetry, drugs, and jazz. Visitors to San Francisco should not miss the City Lights bookstore, one of the beatnik epicenters of the city. A film adaptation of On the Road was produced by Francis Ford Coppola in 2012 and directed by Walter Salles. It competed for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Bullitt, Dirty Harry, Basic Instinct... The list of feature films set in San Francisco is extensive and it is difficult to choose the most representative one. However, this thriller, considered one of the best in history, showcases the city in all its glory. The master of suspense directed this film with James Stewart and Kim Novak based on a novel by the French authors Boileau-Narcejac.

After the death of his wife, police officer Adrian Monk undergoes a deep crisis that leads him to develop obsessive-compulsive disorder and multiple phobias.

Years after the incident, despite his numerous psychological conflicts, Monk works as a police consultant. A contemporary television classic that won eight Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.