ERNEST HEMINGWAY

Though many international expatriates flooded the artistic scene of 1920s Paris, the most commonly discussed expatriate is American novelist Ernest Hemingway, probably for his long stay in Paris and the widely receptive literature he wrote while there.  Born in Illinois in 1899, Hemingway grew up having an affinity for masculine activities such as boxing and football, which helped shape not only his burly exterior but also his personality.  Due to permanent eye damage from his boxing pursuits, Hemingway was rejected from serving in WWI on a repeated basis, which of course for a man who boasted his masculinity, did not bode well for him.  He thus resulted to being a volunteer ambulance driver for the Red Cross during the war--a personal experience he drew inspiration from for his character Frederic Henry in his novel A Farewell to Arms (1929).  This was a stint short-lived, as he was let go from his service very quickly because of his damaged eye.  After the war, Hemingway expatriated himself to Paris like many others like him for the freedom the city offered.  Hemingway first arrived with very little money, as he had yet to become a profitable writer, but with the success of his first novel The Sun Also Rises, he dined around the city on a more luxurious level.

[July 2012]

[July 2012]

The picture above notes the Hôtel d'Angleterre which Hemingway stayed with his first wife Hadley and their little son “Bumby” on their first night in Paris.  Though Hemingway eventually had an affair with a wealthy Parisian fashion reporter named Pauline Pfeiffer and conclusively had four marriages during his life, he shows remorse and regret for his failed marriage with Hadley in his final work A Moveable Feast, a nostalgic account of his life in Paris and his first idyllic years in the city with Hadley. 

[July 2012]

During the early years of his initial stay in Paris, Hemingway went to more modest cafes, such as Cafe des Amateurs now called Cafe La Contrescarpe pictured above, on Rue Mouffetard.  Hemingway recounts, “The Cafe des Amateurs...the men and the woman...” (Hemingway 3).  Though this was not a spot where Hemingway enjoyed writing, albeit it was where he had quite a few drinks, he enjoyed walking down the street Mouffetard and peering into the cafes and street-side markets.  Hemingway wrote articles as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star newspaper his first years in Paris to obtain a rather humble, yet constant flow of income.  He notes the initial years of frugality in Paris when recounting “traveling third class” with his wife and son in A Moveable Feast (7).    

[July 2012]

[July 2012]

After Hemingway garnered literary and financial success with his first novel The Sun Also Rises (1926), he became a regular patron of cafes such as Les Deux Magots and La Closerie des Lilas, where he worked on much of his writing.  Hemingway probably enjoyed their oysters and and glass of wine, a usual meal for him he speaks of in A Moveable Feast (7). 

[July 2012]

[July 2012]

[July 2012]

Hemingway also found inspiration walking through the picturesque Jardin du Luxembourg situated on Rue de Vaugirard.  Hemingway states, “...in the afternoon...I went there nearly everyday...” (13).  Years later during his second marriage to Pauline, Hemingway lived in an apartment near the gardens, an indicator that the gardens were truly a peaceful resort for him.

Another source of tranquility and inspiration for Hemingway--surely the same for anyone who has walked along its banks--was taking long walks along the Seine.  Hemingway enjoyed walking as opposed to public transportation, as he could soak in the city that allowed him so much inspiration.  “...with the narrow streets and the old, tall, beautiful houses...you could...” (Hemingway 41).  

[July 2012]