PERSONAL INPUT & IMPRESSIONS

The luminaries of the Lost Generation were the original inspiration to research and attempt to uncover their experiences in 1920s Paris.  Not only am I an enormous fan of the 1920s culture, dress, and style, I revere to a great extent the literature that came out of this decade.  One of my favorite novels, The Great Gatsby, was written by none other than American expatriate F. Scott Fitzgerald, and when I discovered he wrote most of the novel in Paris, how lucky I felt to be in the city that allowed him so much inspiration for this work!

[Mouffetard July 2012]

[July 2012]

[La Contrescarpe July 2012]

Inspired by their experiences in Paris, I traversed the city documenting the apartments, cafes, restaurants, and neighborhoods they centered around, looking, too, for adventure in “the City of Lights.”  Walking through the narrow street of Mouffetard, lined with cafes, markets, and brimming with an artistic vibe, it is no wonder Hemingway enjoyed strolling down this street.  Trying to get a glimpse into Hemingway’s footsteps, I went to a favorite cafe of his, La Contrescarpe, ordered a caesar salad, and stared at the passersby as I leisurely enjoyed my lunch.  I felt a nostalgia of sorts, knowing that many writers whom I have such respect for, too, engaged in this same activity.  I can understand why Hemingway often opted to walk rather than take public transportation, as there is something quite tranquil and romantic about traversing the streets of Paris on foot while absorbing all of the history, culture, and ambiance it has to offer.    

[Library in the Latin Quarter July 2012]

[Montmartre July 2012]

I also spent a few days walking through Saint Germain de Pres, the Latin quarter, the bustling Boulevard de Montparnasse, and the artistic Mecca of Montmartre--which is now very touristy, yet still exciting--and being memorized at these areas which are still so alive with activity, excitement, and an artist friendly atmosphere, it is no wonder the Lost Generation flocked to these areas.  I can only wonder how even more alive these areas and cafes were when they were graced with the likes of Picasso and Fitzgerald.  Just to walk the streets like the artists of the past I look up to so much meant so much to me, and I felt nothing shy of privileged and grateful I could trace the steps they once walked, even if I could never experience Paris in the 20s they way they did.  

[July 2012]

Again, trying to get a glimpse into the psyche of why the cafe culture so appealed to these writers and artists, I sat at a street-side table at Cafe de Flore and enjoyed an espresso.  The art of sitting at a street-side cafe is not as contrived as it may sound, as there is truly something so peaceful, leisurely, and inspiring about staring out at a city brimming with so much culture and freedom of expression.  Being able to sit at the table--or at least I would like to imagine--that Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Stein, Dali, and Picasso once sat, passionately conversing over Hemingway’s draft of A farewell to Arms or Dali’s experimentations with Surrealist paintings, was an indelible experience in its own.

[July 2012]

Walking through the crowded bookstore of Shakespeare & Company, with numerous books almost spilling off the shelves, was another exciting glimpse into the past.  Though it is now a spot where tourists flood is doors and narrow aisles, I felt such a rush of excitement sifting through the bookshelves Hemingway and his counterparts once did while engaged in conversation with Sylvia Beach.  Of course this is only imaginary, as the store has moved from its original location, but for the sake of humoring myself I pretend--and forever will--that I walked through the library that was once a “headquarters” of the Lost Generation.   

[July 2012]

 

[July 2012]

[July 2012]

I spent a significant time by myself wandering through the Jardin du Luxembourg, being in wonder at the garden’s beauty, feeling giddy that I was walking in the steps of my literary heroes of the past, trying to imagine how it felt for the Lost Generation to get lost in its peaceful and centering atmosphere.  And after a while of experiencing nostalgia for the experiences of the Lost Generation artists, I found that I stopped obsessing over trying to relive what they once saw and trying desperately to delve into their psyche, I became present in the moment and focused on the now, or rather my own experience and adventures in Paris.  And that is precisely what I learned.  Though I will always romanticize the past, as I am a history major after all, especially when in comes to the Lost Generation and the culture of Paris in the 1920s, an important lesson I have taken away with me is that as much as I can look back on this era with fondness, The Lost Generation probably looked back to eras they were passionate about, and I cannot get lost in an era I would have loved to be privy to, but be attune to the fact that I am living in history in the making--which future generations might look back to with the same nostalgia I experienced tracing the steps of the Lost Generation in Paris.  I came out of Paris with my own adventures, memories, experiences, and history.  All this considered, however, I have hoped to give due justice to one of the greatest, most exciting, and artistically fruitful times in history, that although I can never return to nor should I obsess over in the risk I might miss out on the wonders of the present, we all can--and rightfully should--look back on the Lost Generation in 1920s Paris with marvel.      

[July 2012]