Hemingway's Paris

One of my favorite writers (I have many) is Ernest Hemingway. Many people hold the opinion that there has been no American writer like Ernest Hemingway. While I agree he is one of the most notable writers in our history, there are in fact many others, but I will share a bit about him.

A member of the World War I “lost generation” Hemingway was in many ways his own best character. The “lost generation” was a name instituted by Gertrude Stein and it signified the postwar generation and the literary movement produced by the young writers of the time. Although the drama and romance of his life sometimes seem to overshadow the quality of his work, Hemingway was primarily a literary scholar, a writer and reader of books. Hemingway believed that “a writer’s style should be direct and personal, his imagery rich and earthy, and his words simple and vigorous and he captured this spirit in his books.

My favorite book is “A Movable Feast” a book written his time in Paris in the 1920’s. It was the time of the “lost generation” when writers, painters, musicians, and composers went to Paris to work and make names for themselves. In 1950, Hemingway told a friend, "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."

Hemingway's writings give us a truly nostalgic account of life in Paris. In all of his works, life centers on cafe life, drinking and dining. If there were bullfights and big game hunting in Paris, those would have been included, and Hemingway's Paris would have been complete.
My only regret is that I would have known more about his Paris when I spent time in Paris. I would have loved the opportunity to sip a beer at Balzar's in the Rue des Ecoles.

One of my favorite blogs is Hemingway’s Paris. If you love Hemingway, you will enjoy this blog as much as I do. Take a peek.
“All my life I've looked at words as though I were seeing them for the first time.” ~ Hemingway