I visited Paris about four years ago, at the time I was not a fan of Hemingway so I missed all of the parts of the city which he was known to have visited and wrote about. This is something I regret and will most certainly remedy one day.
Hemingway clearly loved Paris, this is evident on almost every page. For the benefit of those who don't know anything about his life he spent years living in Paris in the early 1920s with other famous American ex-pats of the 'Lost Generation' such as F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein and others. A Moveable Feast was the last book he wrote before he died making it an emotional read for fans of his work.
Hemingway writes in his trademark style which is always stark and honest whilst injecting infectious passion and enthusiasm which can be easy to miss if you don't look for it. His escapades whilst in Paris make interesting, entertaining and funny reading but also sad and tragic. A Moveable Feast gives a better insight into who he was more than any of his other books which I found fascinating. He honestly reflects on his own faults which is very unusual for him and admits he sometimes had trouble controlling his temper.
The book is advertised as fiction which mystifies me as it is clearly autobiographical. Hemingway uses everyone's real names, including his own. When relating stories he will occasionally state he can't remember exactly which café something happened in or which person he was with at the time. And he is known to have frequented the places he talks about and socialised with the people he writes about. How can this be fiction? Who knows.
This is truly a book worth reading and is my favourite Hemingway work to date, I thoroughly recommend it
Final verdict 5/5
By Chris
I've only read Farewell to Arms and I wasn't a big fan of it. This one sounds more like something I would enjoy though.
ReplyDeleteI read another review of this book recently, and I immediately thought of Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London, think Hemingway and Orwell were in the city around the same time?
ReplyDeleteI want to read this and then re-read the Orwell... just before heading to Paris :)
More than a few people have suggested that some of the stories he included were made-up. He is the only witness for several of them as I recall.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this book marketed as fiction and as memoir over the years. These days I think memoir should be considered a sub-genre of fiction, myself.
But that said, it is a terrific little book. One that I enjoyed.
I have read very little Hemingway. That needs to change!
ReplyDeleteI read this last month when I was visiting Paris and really enjoyed it. It's a memoir but possibly written through very nostalgic goggles! I've been recommended The Paris Wife, a novel about Hemingway's first wife Hadley. Planning to read that soon.
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ReplyDeleteI've only read Old Man and the Sea, which I enjoyed, but this one sounds much more interesting. Readable autobiographies have always been a favorite of mine. Plus, who doesn't love to read about the sights and sounds of Paris? Great review!
ReplyDeleteMaybe a better term for it would be "Autofiction" a literary term, coined in 1977 by Serge Doubrovsky,he used it in reference to his own novel Fils, it refers to a work combining both fiction & autobiography & By using these 2 contradictory styles, a writer may tell their story in the third person,can change significant details or characters, with the overall aim of searching for or revealing, their inner workings this would make sense in light of what you said concerning his reflections on his faults & also with his stark honesty. maybe he was searching for a way to understand himself & to get that understanding across to his reader. Sounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteI loved this one so much more than anything else Hemingway wrote. It felt so real and honest. I believe it was published after he died, maybe that's why it was listed as fiction. Maybe they were worried they wouldn't be able to prove it was nonfiction.
ReplyDelete@ Tiny Library: What didn't you like about Farewell? Hemingway's style isn't for everyone
ReplyDelete@ anothercookiecrumbles: I have to be honest, I am not a fan of Orwell and don't know much about him. It's possible he was in Paris at the same time as Hemingway but there was no mention of Orwell in his books. Hemingway was part of quite a closed clique so I don't know who else they socialised with, if anyone
@ CB James: I don't know much about the book aside from what's contained in the book itself, I should do some research on it, thanks for your post :o)
@reviewsbylola: I couldn't agree more! lol
@ chasingbawa: It makes me wonder how many so called 'autobiographies' contain Apocryphal stories and who checks their validity?
@ Jenna: The Old Man in the Sea is one I plan to re-read soon, I wasn't that impressed the first time around. This is a much easier book to get on with and, in my opinion, a better book
@ Parrish Lantern: I like the term 'autofiction' thanks for bringing it to my attention, I'll use it again and thanks for a very thought-provoking response :o)
@ Melissa: It was the last book he worked on before his death so it was particularly emotional to read. He's one of my favourte writers and his life ended in such a sad way
Chris
I haven't read any Hemingway at all. Isn't that dreadful. In fact I am wondering if I even have any on the TBR as really to have not read any is a little criminal isnt it? Especially if they are as good as this one.
ReplyDelete@ Simon: That is dreadful! You need to rectify that as soon as you can! I seem to recall we had this discussion on a previous Hemingway review on here. I expect you to have read some Hemingway by the next time I hear from you! ;o)
ReplyDeleteChris