Heard a good interview with Paula McLain, the author of “The Paris Wife”. She got the idea for the book after reading Hemingway’s “A Moveable Feast”. This book was published posthumously in 1964. It’s a collection of stories or memories an old Hemingway puts together describing his young days in Paris.
Interestingly the descriptions of his first wife Hadley are sentimental and rather silly. Their young days of Paris poverty are romantically simple and filled with good eating.
He writes several introductions to the book which are not used. Here’s one:
“This book is fiction. I have left out much and changed and eliminated and I hope Hadley understands. She will see why I hope. She is the heroine and the only person who had a life that turned out well and as it should except certain of the rich.”
She is his heroine!?!
He also writes about her:
“I put my arm around her and felt our hearts beating through our sweaters and I brought my right hand up on her neck smooth and the hair thick against it under my fingers that were shaking.”
Something I learned about Hemingway from this book which I did not know is apparently he suffered from "post tramatic stress syndrome" as a result from his experiences in WWI. He had to sleep with a light on, he had horrible nightmares and he had a bad track record of keeping friends. He's a damaged hero who writes about his ghosts.
Interestingly the descriptions of his first wife Hadley are sentimental and rather silly. Their young days of Paris poverty are romantically simple and filled with good eating.
He writes several introductions to the book which are not used. Here’s one:
“This book is fiction. I have left out much and changed and eliminated and I hope Hadley understands. She will see why I hope. She is the heroine and the only person who had a life that turned out well and as it should except certain of the rich.”
She is his heroine!?!
He also writes about her:
“I put my arm around her and felt our hearts beating through our sweaters and I brought my right hand up on her neck smooth and the hair thick against it under my fingers that were shaking.”
Something I learned about Hemingway from this book which I did not know is apparently he suffered from "post tramatic stress syndrome" as a result from his experiences in WWI. He had to sleep with a light on, he had horrible nightmares and he had a bad track record of keeping friends. He's a damaged hero who writes about his ghosts.
