Hemingway in Paris

After lunch we opted to follow Hemingway’s Paris tour which focused on the Left Bank where most of the writers and artists congregated. Hemingway’s first apartment in Paris was located at 74 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine in the Latin Quarter. He and his first wife, Hadley, moved into this bare-bones, fourth-floor walk-up in January 1922. The cheap flat lacked running water and a private toilet, but it sat above a lively dance hall that inspired his later writing.

From there we went to Place de la Contrescarpe, vibrant, circular public square at the historic heart of the Latin Quarter. Known for its central fountain and bustling outdoor cafes, it sits atop layers of medieval fortifications.  Hemingway immortalized this neighborhood in A Moveable Feast.

Next was Odean/Saint-Michel neighborhoods.  These districts form the exact geographic and historical heart of Ernest Hemingway’s early life in Paris, his stomping ground for borrowing books, writing in cafés, and hanging out with fellow “Lost Generation” expatriates. We saw some cafés in Place saint-Michel where he met his fellow writers.

From there we found our way to the Eglise Sanit-Sulpice, which was his parish church during his second marriage. In his later years he went to cafes and bars around the church common with other writers. While there has been a church here since the 13^th century, the present one dates from the 17^th century.  

Gertrude Stein’s Salon was a few blocks away. This was a gathering place for the writers and artists of this time, and Hemingway was frequently there. Her Salon was a block from Luxembourg Gardens.

Then we found Le Select, a café in Montparnasse where Hemingway hung out.  He also mentioned it in a few of his works.  

There are many more places associate with Hemingway in Paris, but we were tired and decided to call it a day.  This is motivation to reread A Moveable Feast.