Hemingway plays a major role in my novel. My protagonist is a struggling writer who turns to Ernest Hemingway for guidance. For the moment, this is all I can say about the plot of the novel. I hope it sheds some light on how important it was for me to spend some time in Hemingway’s Paris on my recent trip to Europe. I needed to absorb as much inspiration as possible and took this opportunity to see the city through his eyes.
By creating my own walking tour, I was able to visit many of Hemingway’s favorite spots in Paris (both my step-counter and wallet can attest to this). My boyfriend Andrew and I strolled by the apartment buildings where he lived and walked through some of his favorite museums and gardens. We stopped to have a drink or a bite in some of his favorite cafes and brasseries. We also visited Shakespeare and Company, a book shop and one of my favorite stops on our journey. Each step we took and stop we made brought me just a little bit closer to the legend.
Shortly after returning home I was forwarded the following article: “Why Paris is forgetting Ernest Hemingway” by Hugh Schofield at the BBC News in Paris. You can read the article here: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28951095
The article itself is beautifully written and evokes many of the places we visited while in Paris. It highlights how the city is forgetting its memories of Ernest Hemingway. In all fairness, as Schofield points out, it is no easy charge to protect the memory of man long gone when there are so many younger voices to look to. The idea that Hemingway is “beginning to slip into the past” fills me with both excitement and dread. Through my novel I have an opportunity as a writer to bring a fading voice back into the limelight. This is something that I believe has been well accomplished in recent films like Hemingway and Gellhorn (2012), as well as in novels such as Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife. To live up to not only the man and his writing, but also the existing novels or films depicting him will be a challenge.
With all these thoughts and ideas flowing through my mind I leave the cafes of Paris behind to get back to work at my writing desk. I only have another six weeks of writing here at Purdy Lake before I have to head back to Montreal and reality so I had better make the most of it.
The Hemingway Project 