Hemingway was one of the 20th century’s great stylists. The man himself was something of an acquired taste but his prose was as if written by angels. Hemmingway’s writing looks effortless. His economical style is marvellous in the way it seems to say so much with so few words. Hemingway remains the stylistic hero of many a contemporary writer.
A Moveable Feast was virtually the last thing that Hemingway wrote. In this gorgeous collection of short articles he looks back from the end of his life to his time spent in Paris during the in between war years. They were some years. As a poor writer (initially at least) Hemingway brushed shoulders with F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce and Ezra Pound, to name but three. These were the days of the original Shakespeare and Co bookshop. Hem was also friends with the formidable Gertrude Stein, although she did fall out with him.
The short pieces here I think are amongst his best ever writing. The book covers a turbulent time in his life during which he left his wife Hadley and went off with Pauline. Looking back over the years he is clear about his own failures. He takes repsonisbility for everything. And there is a complete absence of bitterness about anything he experienced.
When the boom was originally published Hemingway’s surviving wife cut out some stories and in some case went with earlier versions of text. The resorted edition not only includes some previously unpublished stories but also includes the final, or latest version of stories. The changes to some stories you know may be subtle but they are telling. And some of the new pieces add another dimension to the overall feel of the book. Introductions from Hemngway’s son and grandson also add some interesting background.
I often think about Moveable Feast as a travel book. The account of the road journey the Hemingway and Fitzgerald took from Lyon to Paris is exceptionally funny.
The first story, A Good Cafe on the Place de St. Michel is my favourite ever piece of writing about a walk. You can allow the walk to this day. The Rue Mouffetard may be a little more modern these days but with a little imagination you can be back 100 years ago. As you walk on Hemingway’s description is uncanny, not so much in terms of descriptive writing but in the way in which his writing invokes a feel and spirit of a place which still lingers on.
Buy as a hardback or paperback. This is not a book for the Kindle. It is a book to share. Great value.
Andy Howell
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