A Moveable Feast: Hemingway’s nod to Paris

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Trying to identify a book which best evokes Paris is a bit of a challenge. But then I looked to Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast, and realised nobody could sum it up better: “There is never any end to Paris and the memory of each person who has ever lived in it differs from that of any other”.

What’s it all about?

For me, Paris truly is a moveable feast. Vivid memories of time spent living there mean that my Paris is a city of discovery, romance, food, an ongoing inability to correctly pronounce ‘jeune’ and ‘jaune,’ and hours spent in far flung galleries of the Louvre.

All of you who are lucky enough to have lived in Paris, undoubtedly carry your own sweet memories of the city. And perhaps those who have yet to visit could be tempted to read Hemingway’s memoir of his early married life in Paris, as he embraces café culture with some of the literary greats of the twentieth century, and works tirelessly to cultivate his writer’s craft.

Is it worth the read?

Divided into brief vignettes, each chapter focuses on Hemingway’s interactions and relationships with particular authors against the vivid backdrop of the twenties Parisian scene. Take a trip with F. Scott Fitzgerald, talk opium with Ezra Pound and Ralph Cheever Dunning, and chat books with Sylvia Beach at Shakespeare and Co.

But more than that, Hemingway brings those timeless aspects of Paris to life – the bitter winter cold, the winding and atmospheric streets, the food; his description of a cool beer and a potato salad leave me salivating even with a full stomach.

What I enjoy most of all about Hemingway’s memories is the generosity and enthusiasm with which he gives them away. He wrote this book looking back at a life lived, through the prism of those early days when he had yet to fully realise he was a writer and he was intoxicated by this city full of sensory delight.

A Moveable Feast. By Ernest Hemingway. Published by Penguin. ISBN: 978-0-099-285-04-5

 

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Caroline Woodward-Court

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If you’re an avid reader and want more great book recommendations, check out Caroline’s books to curl up with, her books it wouldn’t be Christmas withoutand her all time favourite reads. You can also find out more about Khoollect book reviewer Caroline Woodward-Court