A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway in Paris

A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway in Paris

For me Ernest Hemingway, his book A Moveable Feast and Paris are inseparable. Cafes he frequented and hotly debated in, book stores that sold his books and gardens he wandered deep in thought, are everywhere in my favourite city Paris.

Following in Hemingway ‘s footsteps, I’ve eaten at the same cafes, lingered in book stores and stared at the streets he walked imaging all the while what it was really like to live in those momentous literary times. Here’s a little about his most famous book, A Moveable Feast, some lesser known facts about the book and the man himself.

Ernest Hemingway, born in Illinois 1899, served in the Red Cross during WWI as an ambulance driver and was severely wounded in Italy. He then moved to Paris in 1921 and devoted himself to writing fiction and he’s well respected for both his fiction and non-fiction work.

Both Ernest Hemingway and Scott T Fitzgerald are famous expats of the Lost Generation that lived in Paris in the 1920s who continue to draw readers, including me, into ‘a moment of history’.

Ernest Hemingway In Paris in the 1920s

I love Hemingway because of his cheeky grin, his adventurous spirit, his way with words and his passionate love filled life. It seems right to pay my respects to him by visiting his apartments on 39 rue Descartes and 74 rue Cardinal Lemoine and to eat at cafes he frequented. This is the magic of Paris!

Hemingway, Fitzgerald and other famous expats of the 1920s frequented many cafes and spots in Paris, and they are a drawcard for tourists every year.

Brassiere Lipp, one of the oldest brassieres in Paris and favourite of poets Paul Verlaine and Guillaume Apollinaire, is a fabulous place to break up your day of exploring Paris and soak up the ’20s spirit, à la Hemingway with a glass of red wine and a serve of hearty cassoulet (the slow cooked dish that originated in Languedoc).

Another café to visit in the footsteps of Hemingway is Les Deux Magots in the Saint Germain district where you can enjoy a fabulous dining experience and soak up the busy vibe of this area. Our guide What To Do in 24 Hours in Paris in The Latin Quarter and Saint Germain will help you make the most of a stay in this area of Paris.

Some Unknown Facts About A Moveable Feast

Did you know that A Moveable Feast was published in 1964, three years after Hemingway’s death in 1961? And that Hemingway had composed an additional ten chapters for this book which were in varying stages of completion upon his death?

Some book editions contain these incomplete chapters. Whilst they provide additional insight into Hemingway’s everyday life in Paris at the time of writing, it is important for the reader to remember that they are incomplete and were preserved in only their handwritten first draft or in a rewritten second draft.

In A Moveable Feast the short, declarative sentences and terse prose Hemingway is famous for, makes easy and enjoyable reading. I love the snapshot of Paris, the musings of his life with Hadley, the honest depiction of horse racing obsessions, the trials of being a writer, the arrival of a first child, family holiday experiences, the challenge of love and the sharing of everyday life with friends.

Why You Should Read A Moveable Feast

It is written so that you feel the author is directly sharing his experiences and thoughts with you. This classic is great for a number of reasons.

Insightful historical snapshots; well written prose to enjoy; the contextual references to many other famous people such as Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, Sylvia Beach (owner of Shakespeare & Co bookstore) and Gertrude Stein; and knowing that you are reading one of the important works of English literature.

Ernest Hemingway and Hadley Richardson

I am now interested to learn more of his wife, Hadley Richardson, and their life together. Are her recollections the same as recorded by her husband in A Moveable Feast? What are her feelings on their divorce and the other love of his life, Pauline?

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain is described as bringing to life the “deeply romantic study of a doomed relationship” (Kate Saunders The Times). The biography of the woman destined to remain “just the early wife, the Paris wife” is now on my list of books to read.

See our Books for Francophiles guide which is bursting with books to buy for anyone who loves France or anything French and you can buy your own copy of A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway in Paris.