death_date death_place children birth_place birth_date image article_title name occupation
14 december 2011 paris , france sylvia beach whitman east orange , new jersey , united states 12 december 1913 thumb george whitman
 george whitman proprietor
george whitman

george whitman -lrb- december 12 , 1913 -- december 14 , 2011 -rrb- was the proprietor of the shakespeare and company bookstore in paris , which continues to be a popular tourist attraction .
he was a contemporary of such beat poets as jack kerouac and allen ginsberg .
whitman was born in east orange , new jersey , united states , and while he was still an infant the family moved to salem , massachusetts .
in 2006 whitman was awarded the `` officier de l'ordre des arts et des lettres '' medal by the french government for his contribution to the arts over the previous fifty years .
