Paris writers of the 1920s

Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Joyce - and artists of the calibre of Picasso and Miro. Expatriates all. What was it that made that era special? And why Paris?

For me it began with The Old Man and the Sea, my favourite novel. I loved it so much I looked at the writer behind it. Although raised continents apart, there were similarities between Ernest Hemingway's upbringing and mine. We both loved to fish and spend time outdoors. In Nick Adams - hero of the early Hemingway short stories - I recognized a kindred spirit.

My reading taught me about Hemingway's family, school, home neighbourhood, war injuries, career and marriages - his whole life. I was hooked. But let's look at Paris, the city he loved best. Like him, I knew what it took to adapt to a new country. There was something about the struggling but confident young writer that held me enthralled. What was it that turned him from novice to world-renowned author in a few short years? I trawled for facts and the more I learned the more hooked I became.

In Paris he met Scott Fitzgerald who offered writing advice and steered him towards Charles Scribner's Sons in NYC and the firm's famous editor Maxwell Perkins. The relationship with Fitzgerald soured as did almost all of Hemingway's literary friendships. Fitzgerald became a new source of interest to me: his and Zelda's marriage difficulties, his career's sharp decline. EH claimed Zelda was jealous of her husband's fame and crazy to boot. She was to end up in an institution.

James Joyce was the living writer EH most respected. In recent years Joyce has attained deity-like status in Ireland, although he had few good words to say about it during his lifetime. I had known a girl from Trieste and was fascinated to read of Joyce's time there, and of his speaking Italian when out and about in Paris.

Back then, life was very different to what we know today. To hear news of acquaintances or rivals you visited certain cafes or called in at Sylvia Beach's bookshop, Shakespeare and Co. Gertrude Stein, American writer and art collector, was a good source of knowledge about painters. Hemingway would go on to own artwork by both Picasso and Miro.

The US dollar went a long way in 1920s Europe - a continent not yet recovered from the ravages of war. Paris was beautiful, lively and cosmopolitan, different in every way to the staidness of prohibition-era America. Expatriates came and enjoyed it's gifts; and the skiing in Austria and Switzerland, the beaches of the Riviera and the magic of Spain.

EH's years in France are brilliantly captured by Paula McLain in her best-selling novel The Paris Wife.

Writer Friends

Where would we be without them?

Writing is a lonely business - how often have we heard that? Perhaps not as lonely as sailing solo around the world or sitting in solitary confinement on death row. It's the nature of the job. Few writers can have gained inspiration amid the confines of  a crowded, rush-hour train or surrounded by raucous fans at a football match.

But just like normal people :) the writing fraternity needs social interaction. Under that brooding, glowering gaze is a mind that relishes freedom breaks. Hemingway would forget about his WIP after knocking off for the day, believing his subconscious was still beavering away, readying him for tomorrow's fight. Yeah, he saw it as a fight. That's why he wrote standing up. Today we enjoy the luxury of connecting with people around the world at the click of a mouse. From the comfort of our homes we are able to chat and interact without the need to shave or dress respectably or even to have met the other person.

Where would we be without comments on our work? The feedback, both good and bad; and when the going is tough the encouragement from others who themselves have faced and slain the demons. How can we adequately express our thanks to those who, blessed with a quicker understanding of how the 'social media' and new technology can help the writer, give of their time and knowledge to assist others?

Today I acknowledge the assistance of cyberspace friends. May their years of toil, mental anguish, sore backs, broken fingernails bear fruit in spectacular fashion. May their early drafts be transformed as if by magic into scenes that excite and transfix the reader.

Nancy in Florida. A lovely lady full of humour and ambition, currently crafting a series of  YA sci-fi and romance novels featuring a feisty science-wizard teen who becomes the target of a shadowy group intent on using her brilliant new ideas.
http://authonomy.com/books/39542/backward-glances/

Lisa in France, and her Mom - a dynamic duo - creators of New Adult fantasy tales set in magical kingdoms with a host of intriguing characters.
http://www.lisa-corner.com/

Sandra-Jane, a writer of historical novels set in 1830s England. Her knowledge of the countryside shines through in her work. Hers has been a guiding hand helping me along the self-publishing path. https://sites.google.com/site/sandrajanegoddard/home

Ruko Dango has written a fascinating, colourful and often amusing account of her time working with the UN in the Congo. Ruko is now seeking an agent.
http://authonomy.com/books/44676/no-ice-cream-in-the-land-of-the-cannibals-/