A Moveable Feast

Synopsis: Hemingway's memories of his life as an unknown writer living in Paris in the 1920s are deeply personal, warmly affectionate and full of wit. Looking back not only at his own much younger self, but also at the other writers who shared Paris with him - literary 'stars' like James Joyce, Wyndham Lewis, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein - he recalls the time when, poor, happy and writing in cafes, he discovered his vocation.

Review: '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.'

It's a good idea to read this in conjunction with Gertrude Stein's The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas as it focuses on the same place and time and is written in a very similar spare style (and you get to read Ernest's version of their friendship and subsequent fall out,) so much so that it made me wonder how much influence Gertrude had had on Hemingway's subsequent writings. This is Hemingway's reflections on life in Paris in the 1920's, sunny, youthful days spent writing, drinking and arguing in the cafe's. It's about fishing and horse racing, his friendships with other writers particularly Scott Fitzgerald, and his relationship with his wife Hadley which begins sweetly but ends rather sadly.

There's no great insights into Hemingway here but, just like Gertrudes book, it's an evocative snapshot of the age. Food and drink feature heavily ... a struggling writer/artist could still eat and drink relatively handsomely in Paris and it makes you long for lazy, warm, summer days spent dipping bread into good olive oil. The book is full of comedic anecdotes, especially about his time spent with Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound and Ford Madox Ford ... and you can't help but laugh at these perfectly intelligent, well read men, squabbling like toddlers and trying to score points. There was an innocence and a hopefulness to it all though and you can see why Hemingway is so wistful about it, it seemed a golden time. I didn't quite believe all he said and was inclined to take his assertions with a pinch of salt. He has a habit of painting himself as more sinned against than sinning, but he becomes more honest when he reflects on his marriage to Hadley .. though nothing is gone through in detail, like Gertrude, he gives you just enough to make you curious.

There's a new 'restored edition' which I'd like to read in the future.