Hemingway: The Paris Years

Reynolds' Hemingway #2

by Michael S. Reynolds

The 1920s in Paris are the pivotal years in Hemingway's apprenticeship as a writer, whether sitting in cafés or at the feet of Gertrude Stein.

These are the heady times of the Nick Adams short stories, Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and the writing of The Sun Also Rises. These are also the years of Hemingway's first marriage to Hadley Richardson, the birth of his first son, and his discovery of the bullfights at Pamplona.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Biography Memoir, France, Literary Criticism, Reference

583 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 1989

About the author

As part of Reynolds' lifelong research, aided by his wife and editor Ann, he followed Hemingway's travels through Spain, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Key West, Fla., and visited the novelist's childhood home in Oak Park, Ill.

Reynolds served on the editorial board of the Hemingway Review. He also helped establish the Hemingway Society, which presents the annual Ernest Hemingway Foundation Award for the best first work of fiction published in the U.S., and organized its biannual conferences for Hemingway scholars. The professor was particularly delighted with the 1996 conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, one of Hemingway's familiar stomping grounds, which was attended by five friends of the late author.

Internationally respected, Reynolds was consulted in 1992 about 20 newly discovered newspaper stories allegedly written by Hemingway for the Toronto Star in the early 1920s. Some of the articles, which Reynolds and other scholars authenticated, were found in the Hemingway section of the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, the world's leading center of Hemingway studies.[More...]

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like Hemingway, check this one out; if you do not, skip it. Michael Reynolds delves into excruciating, repetitive detail about Hemingway's formative writing years in Paris. He discusses Hemingway's marriage with Hadley Richardson, as well as his interactions with other writers/artists like Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. I appreciated Reynolds' honesty in his portrayal of Hemingway. But I kept asking myself: why do people even care about this man?

Thanks for putting up with my many Hemingway reviews, Goodreads friends. Even though Hemingway acted mean in many ways, I see that he suffered and I feel sorry about that. Still, I do not like him nor his writing at this point.

[Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important years in H's life as a writer. This whole bio series by Reynolds on Hemingway is excellent.

[Adam McPhee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The thing about a biography is that if the material is good enough it can overcome a bad biographer and still turn out okay, which is the case here. Every time the biographer comes through this thing starts to stink, especially if he's commenting on sex or politics. Actually, the book serves as a kind of proof that the social mores of the 1980s were worse than those of the 1920s. Still, Hemingway led an interesting life and it's nice to see something about his time in Paris that is interested but doesn't descend into the romantic. Starts with his arrival in Paris and continues through to his sly maneuvering to get out of his Liveright contract by writing Torrents of Spring, a satire on Sherwood Anderson et al, and foisting it upon them instead of The Sun Also Rises.

[Chrissie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars
MY REVIEW HAS BEEN REVISED AFTER COMPLETING THE BOOK

Reynolds' biography of Hemingway is more an analysis of what Hemingway has written than an examination of his inner soul. This book, the second in Reynold's series on Hemingway, covers only four years 1922-1926, predominantly set in Paris but also Spain, Italy,Turkey and Austria. In 1924 Hemingway began to receive acclaim. It covers his marriage to Hadley and his growing infatuation with Pauline, who will be his next wife. It covers the birth of his son. It covers his years as a reporter; he wrote both for The Toronto Star and for Hearst. He was in Turkey when the fire and catastrophe in Smyrna took place. As usual, he missed the real action but heard what others related. He observed and he listened. He was, as always, an observant listener. I found this coverage of historical event s more interesting than any other part of the book. Hemingway wanted to be a fiction writer, so that must be the main focus. The book covers primarily his friendship with those of the Lost Generation, those living in Paris in the 20s.

The main focus is what Hemingway wrote during this period. You have to be well aware of what he has written. A chapter can begin relating what one of his fictional characters is thinking or doing. This can be confusing; the reader must immediately recognize Hemingway’s fictional characters. This is further confused because the fictional characters are drawn from real ones. Just as Hemingway so often takes real events and fictionalizes them, so does this biography blend the two.

Being a literary analysis of his writing and his steps toward recognition, the book details the ins and outs of his writing and publishing contracts. Perhaps the book is best for those readers who are themselves budding authors, who are looking for guidelines on writing techniques. It shows what Hemingway learned from others.

The book is more a presentation of what Hemingway does than what he thinks. The reader observes his actions and the choices he makes. I still like Hemingway's writing but I do not admire him as a person. And none of this has to do with his despicable love of bullfighting. At least in the first book (The Young Hemingway) you are given an idea of why he was drawn to this barbaric practice. In the first book there is more discussion of what factors shaped Hemingway into the man he was. This second book focuses on how he became a writer. I like how Hemingway writes, but dissecting every paragraph, every line, every word in his books makes the Hemingway magic disappear.

I found neither Hemingway’s conversion to the Catholic faith or his changed feeling for Hadley well presented. I don’t understand how he was thinking, so neither can I empathize with him.

There is an awful lot of repetition within this second book AND from the previous book. The repetition is excessive. It quite simply drove me nuts.


You do learn a bit about Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas and Ezra Pound and F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sylvia Beach, known for her Paris bookstore/library Shakespeare and Company.

I will not be continuing this series. I do not like Reynold's focus or how he presents the facts. I get the impression he is trying to write with a style similar to Hemingway, only it fails. And the exceedingly rapid narration of the audiobook by Allen O'Reilly makes the reading experience even more unpleasant.


I have learned about Hemingway......I like him less. This is who he was. These are the things he did. These are the things he said. You can like an author's work but not the author himself! I am glad I know him better. With my increased awareness and dislike I remind myself that this book only covers four years of his entire life, but for now I have had enough of Hemingway!

My view on the first book of the series may be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous piece of biography. I strongly recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed Hemingway or travel writing, or just plain good writing. A sympathetic, but clear eyed portrayal of Hemingway, thoroughly researched.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I have read about Hemingway and his development as a writer. It was an enjoyable read all the way through. Looking forward to diving into the next segment of Hemingway's life from Michael S. Reynolds.

[Brian Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume 2 tells the story of how Hemingway became Hemingway. Arriving in Paris, Ernest was a newlywed in search of literary connections. By the end of the book, Hemingway returns to Paris after signing his fateful contract with Scribner's to publish The Sun Also Rises and about to leave his first wife for his second. He made literary friendships with Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, Ford Madox Ford, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, all of whom contributed in significant ways to his growth as a writer. I found Reynolds's observations and speculations about Hemingway's thoughts and motivations to be utterly convincing and revelatory, and I also found the book very difficult to put down. My favorite sections include the moments when Hemingway shrugged off depression to take flight as he found inspiration to compose the short stories of In Our Time and the legendary summer of 1925 in Spain when he converted real life experiences, arguments, and romantic obsessions into the material that became The Sun Also Rises. That legendary novel was written in just over a month in the weeks following the events in Spain! Incredible to see inspiration and to be carried away in its tide. A mandatory read for readers and writers who are curious about how Hemingway wrote his earliest and perhaps best known works in the 1920s.

[B. R. Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything about this biography was first rate. Hemingway went to Paris at the suggestion of Sherwood Anderson. In Paris he worked hard on developing his personal style of writing. He also played a lot, living off his wife’s money and some newspaper work. He learned much from the personal tutoring of Ezra Pound & Gertrude Stein during this time. Some people compare this book with A Moveable Feast. I would disagree. This book by Mr Reynolds is fact-based and is full of footnotes. Great research, structure & storytelling. However, I did find myself wanting to return to the Paris of those times, look Hemingway up, challenge him to a 3 round boxing match and give him a friendly beating in the ring. He couldn’t move at all. What a blowhard he must have been. I have never liked the way he treated Hadley, his wife. She deserved better. Anyway, I’ll always be a fan of his writing. I think A Farewell to Arms is an almost flawless novel. I did tire of hearing about Hem’s Oak Park values vs the more sophisticated “values” of Paris. Really? Give me a break. This truly is a fine biography. Highly recommend.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I especially enjoyed reading this book after reading "A Moveable Feast". Michael Reynolds dives into Hemingway and what he was up to during his years living and writing in Paris. Consider it a companion book to Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast".

[anna van marcke · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was so hemingway when he’s in paris

[Brad Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very detailed and slow but wonderful read about Hemingway’s years in Paris from 1921 to 1925. Includes a lot of details about his writing process and philosophies as well as the first publication of his stories and novels; as a writer I really appreciated that. I am interested in reading the author’s other works regarding Hemingway. Now to look for my copy of The Sun Also Rises.

[John Eliade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Ernest Hemingway, and I look forward to reading the rest of Reynolds' biographical series on Hemingway's early life and his later life, this one, regarding his 1920s "apprenticeship" learning how to perfect short stories, write a novel, and navigate life, is really telling as an aspiring novelist and current expatriate.

What struck me about this was it portrays Hemingway as a very real human being, not an idealized "great American novelist," writing in private, soldiering in secret, fucking loudly and indiscriminately. Hemingway was very much a man of intense passions, but also very real fears, very acute demons, and very strong delusions. There is a great sense of this in his very VERY excellent semi-autobiographical "A Moveable Feast," but you get the sense of being a fly on the wall in 1920s Europe with all the impending doom of war hanging over your head that Hemingway, who survived a very real attack in Italy as well as the Spanish flu a decade earlier, could always feel enveloping him.

This is a powerful book to both better understand one of America's great literary heroes... and bring him off the pedestal. Or at least just lower it.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reynolds does an excellent job of showing Hemingway developing as a writer while also showing his flaws. Reynolds clearly thinks Hemingway is a genius yet can still see honestly his rewriting of his past, his jealousy, his antisemitism, etc. He shows how Hemingway learned from other writers--what he took away and what he dropped by the wayside.

[Michael Alligood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough and captivating. While no one can completely (or accurately) write biographical material, Reynolds does an excellent job at ‘connecting the dots’. Having studied Hemingway in the manner of an expert, I have no arguments with Reynolds’ inferences on Hemingway’s (et al) mood or demeanor. I have two more books in the series of five to finish.

[Nicole Caron · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are interested in the backstory of THE SUN ALSO RISES, as well as that general era in Paris, pair this with Lesley M.M. Blume’s EVERYBODY BEHAVES BADLY. Between these two books you’ll get a fascinating story of the major literary players of the early 20th century, the writers and publishers who changed literature and changed the way we think about reading and writing.

[Tom Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very readable book written by a writer that dedicated his professional writing life to exclusively write about Hemingway. It brought brought the reader to the wild Paris of the 20's. I enjoyed and learned much while reading this book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just adore him and after visiting Key West I find I want to read more about his life interacting with the other great artists of the early 20th century in Europe at the time.

[Cal Godot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reynolds' research is so meticulous and his writing so detailed the reader virtually re-lives the legendary life of Hemingway in Paris.

[Alison Hardtmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect companion volume to A Moveable Feast. It takes Hemingway's memoir and puts it in chronological order, explains Hemingway's many jabs and offhand comments and corrects where Hemingway either embellished the story or made things up. What emerges is the story of a developing writer, a man desperate to both escape his upbringing and to impress the folks back home, a man quick to toss out an insult, but even quicker to take offense. Arriving in Paris, Hemingway was a mediocre writer of sentimental stories, but in just a few, intense years, he had made himself into one of the best writers of a very fertile time in American writing. Of course, he had help along the way, in the form of friendship and support from the likes of Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound and even Ford Madox Ford, who supported Hemingway despite of Hemingway's scorn and his own preference for traditional 19th century writing. Hemingway needed help, even as he wanted to be a self-made man, leading him to form intense friendships that never lasted long -- Hemingway was not given to gratitude and preferred to burn his bridges once he had walked over them.

Reynolds discusses Hemingway's writing during that time in detail. I was interested to find that my favorites of Hemingway's many short stories were written during his years in Paris. He worked tirelessly at his craft, and when he was doing well, he wrote quickly. He was also able to edit his stories down; removing everything that didn't need to be said, leaving no unnecessary scenes or even words. A disastrous trip to Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls was the inspiration for The Sun Also Rises.

Reynolds' also puts Hemingway within his time and place, explaining the events of the time as well as providing a vivid picture of Paris in the 1920s.

It was a thrill to read that when Hemingway went to New York to negotiate the publishing contract for The Sun Also Rises he hung out at the Algonquin, spending time with Robert Benchley and Dorothy Parker, both of whom would accompany him on the ship back to Paris. I would have liked to have been on that boat.

[Melanie]

A well-written biography of Hemingway covering the period 1922-25-in years between "In Our Time" and "The Sun Also Rises." Reynolds covers more about his relations with Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, and all of the hangers-on similar to those at the Pamplona festival and SAR. The novel is a good picture of the complex Hemingway as man and artist, no stone left unturn, no flaw covered up. Hemingway in his "hypocrisy, selfishness, paranoia, the discipline, genius, and ruthlessly self-promoting ambition" resonate throughout the biography. His aspiration in his identity as a hero and solo artist-soldier, bullfighter, lover, hunter, journalist, writer-- are illuminated with clarity and authenticity.

My Comments:
FROM MY AMAZON Review: An interest in Cuba has sparked my rereading of my "pretend boyfriend" Hemingway. He's controversial, complicated, difficult, prone to fits of depression and anger, spends too much time "in his cups," possesses a kid-like vitality, a solo artist who wanted to "write like Cezanne painted" and, last but not least --- fallible--very fallible. So,naturally, the man of my dreams. :) I pledged to come to Spain over 20 years ago to do the "Hemingway thing" and, finally, in the third act, I did it. I've written 3 graduate papers on him and once thought to name my daughter Hadley. I identify (especially in the aforementioned 3rd Act) with Lady Brett Ashley which is not necessarily, in some people's minds a good thing....I read and reread about her character trying to find out how one could be two things at once: strong and weak, dependent and independent-- depending on the circumstances--, nice but not necessarily the cookie cutter idea of virtuous, a bit damaged but still in tact. So...Hemingway, the writer/ the man. has been a bit of an obsession, one could say. As to the book, this was not my favorite Hemingway read but a well-written bio that captures his character "warts and all."

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second volume of Michael Reynolds' multi-part biography of Ernest Hemingway, and a brilliant read it is. It covers Hemingway's years in Paris (obviously) and takes him from his early years as an unpublished aspiring writer through the writing of his first full-length novel, The Sun Also Rises. The book is extremely well researched and detailed, covering Hemingway's activities almost day by day, with ample references to the people and events that supplied the inspiration for Hemingway's fiction. Many major literary figures are here - Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, Gertrude Stein, Sherwood Anderson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, and others.

Despite being set in the 1920s, the book has an immediacy that is rare in any biography. You feel like you are present with Hemingway and the others, as Reynolds includes geographic and historical details in generous proportions. He alludes to world events, current literature, cultural matters, and, of course, bullfighting, painting a clear picture of the era about which he writes.

Reynolds also studies Hemingway's character closely. He examines his marriage and other relationships with women, his relationship with his family back in Illinois, his interactions with other writers, and his clashes with editors and publishers.

An excellent book, highly recommended.

[Keely · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredibly fascinating and detailed book, not to mention enjoyable. It's mind-boggling to imagine how the writer was able to get so inside Hemingway's mind and psyche - it's as if you are right beside Hemingway living out his days in Paris and Europe during those life altering years. Reynolds also supplies some astounding letters and correspondence that I sometimes marveled at his remarkable resources he had at his disposal. To his credit he pulls no punches in displaying Hemingway's misogyny, anti-Semitism, jealousy, and his various betrayals of his wife, friends, mentors, and supporters. There's one paragraph that displays Hemingway's different ways of relating the same facts in two different letters to his parents and to a male friend. When I got to the sentence "John Dos Passos and I may go down to the Riff together," so much background had been given that I intuitively felt that he was trying to disguise an upcoming liaison with Pauline Pfeiffer. I very much enjoyed his take on Pfeiffer's creepy behavior - and at the same time he easily showed the factors in Hemingway's marriage to Hadley that led to their split. He also, in very few words, was on to the dangerous influence of people like Gerald and Sara Murphy, which he probably gets into in the next volume. Near the end of this book there are some stunning passages detailing the creative processes that formed The Sun Also Rises. I was also able to sympathize with his commitment and discipline when he was writing, and I was more able to understand the thinking and attitudes that made him such a groundbreaking writer. I read this book word for word, leisurely, over a period of three months, and I treated the times I spent reading it as little mini-vacations. I'd walk out to my balcony, closed the door behind me, and surrender to feeling as if I were being transported back to that magical time in history. Reynolds made it so real, and he did it so well. On the other hand, much of it may well be just conjecture on his part. But either way, it's a remarkable book.

[Joey Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

For most readers, they would not enjoy the detail of Hemingway’s Paris life. But for those who desire an intricate portrait of the writer, this is the book for them.

For those readers who adore Hemingway, they are likely to be put off by the horrible man he is. Not only does he betray his first wife, but he is constantly hyper critical and unfair to other writers, simply because he needs to be the best always. Such an insecure man.

His friends and acquaintances receive no awards for personality and morality either. They are a horrible bunch of people that no one should want as friends.

However, the trajectory of Hemingway’s process of becoming a writer from his first short stories to the novel, The Sun Also Rises, is quite good as we see how dependent the young Hemingway is upon other writers and benefactors. He is not the independent, tough guy we see in public.

“in our time” and “The Sun Also Rises” are well worth reading.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A tedious text, written a little bit more literary than a cop presenting the facts in his report. It's about what the man did and not much else. And because the text would be so short, it is filled with context data, which surely helps clarify the actions, but also takes a lot of space. I did enjoy finding out that Hemingway did go to the St. Bernard Pass with the materials and logistics of the 1930s, but I also do not care much about this sort of trivia.

[Charles Kerns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biographers shouldn't hate their subjects, but shouldn't be too slavish. Reynolds gets near the slavish side but stays almost clear. Much of this info is in Movable Feast if you want it straight from the horse's mouth.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you are one who is wanting to engage a five-part biography of Ernest Hemingway or would like some additional info after reading 'A Movable Feast' then this will not disappoint. Very detailed and interesting book about the Ernest Hemingway's origins in the post-war years.

[Richard Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable continuation of this very detailed biography.

[Marvin Minkler · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those Hemingway biographies that the reader savors like a fine wind. Superb volume.

[Patrick Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve now read Michael Reynolds second volume of his five-volume biography if Hemingway three times, and I have to say that it stands out among the biographies of the old fraud (not a verdict I’m suggesting was shared by Reynolds), although it does have its flaws.

I read somewhere of other (not in one of these volumes) that Reynolds’s interest is in (what I think he called) the archaeology of biography, that is the snippets and nuggets of facts he can dig up. These, he said, were what were important to build up a comprehensive picture of the subject.

So he will spend an inordinate amount of time checking one fact against another to do his best to verify it; and if he cannot independently verify a ‘fact’ about Hemingway, he has not included it in his biographies.

So, for example, Hemingway claimed that to write in peace and undisturbed, he had rented a garret room in a cheap hotel near his flat in rue du Cardinal Lemoine in Paris in which the poet Paul Verlaine had died. Reynolds points out that the only source for that piece of ‘information’ was Hemingway himself so he did not include it.

Other biographies repeat that ‘fact’ unquestioningly and it has become part of the ‘Hemingway story’, but is it true? We don’t know. And on the debit side Hemingway played fast and loose with ’the truth’ and the ‘facts’ about his life. He did not lead a battalion of famous Italian Arditi troops up Monte Grappa in World War I as he claimed. His sole wartime experience was driving a Red Cross ambulance for two weeks well behind enemy lines, then running an R&R unit closer to the fighting, handing out cigarettes and chocolate to the frontline troops when they arrived. Because he craved ‘more excitement, he took to delivering the ciggies and chocs to the front line and got himself blown up.

Why did he lie? No one knows. But he had told tall stories about himself since he was young. He did not take part in the mass execution by Loyalists of Spanish falangists as he claimed. He did not take part in the D Day invasion as he claimed. (He observed it from one of the landing craft, then returned to Britain with that craft.) And on it went, from fib to lie, from lie to fib. Some people are like that. ‘Papa’ Hemingway certainly was.

Reynolds’s scepticism is refreshing. Previous biographers, notably Carlos Baker, Hemingway’s ‘official’ biographer, pretty much repeated the bullshit as truth, though to be fair to Baker, he was writing within a few years of the ‘great’ man’s death, tasked by his widow, Mary, who had shown herself to be prone to litigation if she was upset.

She sued A E Hotchner, a young writer who had become one of Hemingway’s confidantes (mainly because he was fawned rather well) because in a memoir five years after Hemingway’s death he had revealed that the famous novelist had killed himself. Mary insisted the world should believe his death was the result of a shotgun accident. She did lose her suit, though, appealed, and lose her appeal, too. So Baker who was certainly not uncritical felt obliged to tread carefully. (NB At the time of writing, Hotchner died only three months ago at the age of 102.)

One flaw in Reynolds, though, is that his readable, somewhat novelistic approach to writing his biography does worry sometimes. To be told that on a specific trip from their flat to the Gare de Lyon, Hemingway and his wife Hadley could not see the street lights because it was too foggy (something that unlike most of what Reynolds claims) is not sourced does jar a little. Admittedly, he seems to be scrupulous in most of with he writes and such writing does add colour, but this reader would be a little happier without the speculation.

I am engaged on a long project (getting longer as time goes on, dammit) on Hemingway and how such a — in my opinion rather middling — writer who produced comparatively little work achieved such extraordinary global prominence. I have read a great deal directly and around the subject and I am struck at how some accounts almost contradict each other (and oddly hardly any talk about his work at all much, especially his silly ‘iceberg theory’ and his ‘theory of omission’ and his supposed ‘modernism’).

Among those works (which, I have to add, are all interesting and worth your time) Reynolds’s contribution does stand out. If you are considering buying it, go for it. And I agree it is very much a 4.5/5 read.

Although I don’t rate Hemingway much as a writer, though his influence on the course of English literature most certainly cannot be denied, his life story, and feuds and fantasies (look up The Crook Factory he ran) are something else and very entertaining.

I am just about to embark on Kenneth Lynn’s the most recent. I shall review that, too.

[Richard Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, after all it's all too easy to let yourself get absorbed and involved in those days. Doesn't take much to put yourself in Paris, having a drink maybe at Les Deux Magots on the Left Bank. I sink into that world far too easily and thoroughly enjoy it especially when I am in Paris. It's a wonderful and emotional roller-coaster. You should try it!