“A day with Hemingway” walk

Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) is one of the greatest American 20th century novelists.   He is renowned for his spare but powerful waiting style. Famous for his novels like “The Sun also rises, “A farewell to arms” and also for “A moveable feast”, the memoir of his Paris years, written later after he returned to United States. Hemingway won the Nobel prize in 1954.

Sean Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway’s grand-son, said that what’s remarkable about his writing is that he really formed the writing in his head very carefully before it comes out”

Ernest Hemingway, a figure that seems to belong to Paris

Although Ernest Hemingway has lived in Paris for only a short time (from 1921 to 1928), he is a figure that will always be connected to Paris. ThiThis is where he started writing his first novel which was going to be published (“The Sun also rises”) and this is where he lived the 6 years he spent with Hadley Richardson, his first wife. It seems that his years with Hadley in Paris were among his happiest years of his life and though he was married four times, that Hadley stayed his only true love.

Hadley (in the center) – Hemingway (on the left side)

He wrote “A moveable feast”, the memoir of his Paris years,  long after his return to United States with the help of notes he had written while in Paris.

“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.“ – Ernest Hemingway

“A day with Hemingway” walk is a great way to discover Hemingway’s Paris  

To take this walk with me or to get more information : Don’t hesitate to contact me : here

Hemingway in Shakespeare and Company in Saint Germain des Prés – Photo by Sylvia Beach

The walk takes you to most of the places Hemingway frequented. I have listed more than 25 places that are spread mostly across 3 neighborhoods (the Latin Quarter, Saint Germain des Prés and Montparnasse). The Latin Quarter where his first apartment was located, Montparnasse (his 2d apartment) and Saint Germain des Prés (his last home). And in these 3 neighborhoods, numerous cafés, brasseries and places he frequented…Without counting the streets in which he loved to stroll.

And what’s amazing,  is that much of Hemingway’s Paris still exists: the cafés that he frequented, the brasseries where he dined, the places where he wrote some of his best writing, the places where he lived… Many of these places are mentioned in “Paris is a moveable feast” (his Paris’ memoirs) and in “”the Sun also rises” too.

But not only ! …. You don’t have to be the greatest fan of Hemingway to enjoy this stroll.

It is a good excuse to explore Paris off the beaten path, while stopping at some of Hemingway’s favorite spots. 

And…  it takes you back in time : If you love the 1920s era, “A day with Hemingway” is a way to experience what Paris was like at that time. In the 1920s, many writers and artists from all over the world moved to Paris and the American writers were known as the Lost Generation.

To get more information about “A day with Hemingway” walk, Don’t hesitate to contact me : here

Hadley,  the woman Hemingway never stopped lovingOne can’t speak or write about Hemingway’s Paris without mentioning Hadley. Hemingway and Hadley were the golden couple of Paris in the 1920s

Hadley Richardson, the woman he left and the woman Hemingway never stopped loving

Hemingway was married four times. One says that Hadley (his first wife from 1921 to 1927) was his only true love and that he cherished her throughout his life.  And no one can denied Hadley’s major influence on Hemingway’s work. And her presence is found in Hemingway’s writing

with their son Jack, nicknamed “Bumby

They lived 6 years together, which is most of the years Hemingway spent in Paris

He met her in 1920s, in Chicago, at a friend’s apartment. He was 21, Hadley was 28. They got married in Horton Bay, Chicago. They moved to Paris in 1921, shortly after their wedding. But they divorced in 1927, soon after Hemingway had a love affair with Pauline Pffeifer, who soon became his second wife. Hemingway and Hadley : a true love story and a heartbreaking ending.

In “A moveable feast” he wrote about the years he spent with Hadley : I am happy and without any remorse and I never worked better nor was I happier and I loved the girl truly”. He displayed his feeling for her again in the novel “Islands in the stream” and dedicated “The sun also rises” to her and their son. His friend, A.E. Hotchner said that Hemingway has been seeking his great love the rest of his life, and that his separation from Hadley had haunted him to the grave.

 Places where this walk will take you : 

“A day with Hemingway” walk takes you mostly off the beaten path, through the 3 main neighborhoods he frequented : the Latin Quarter, Saint Germain des Prés and Montparnasse.  

Among the numerous spots we’ll stop at :  places where he lived, his favorite cafés and brasseries (often gathering spots of numerous artists and writers at that time),  the hotel where he spent his first days in Paris , the hotel where Hadley found herself alone with their son after Hemingway left her for Pauline (who was going to be his second wife)  , the cafe where he wrote most of “The Sun also rises” and many more

To take this walk with me or to get more information : Dont’ hesitate to contact me : here

How and why did I designed “A day with Hemingway” itinerary ?

I have always been passionate about knowing and visiting places where writers and artists lived and worked in Paris. I feel it’s a way to get closer to their writing, to get closer to the humans they were, a way to feel the city (rather that “visiting” it) and a way to get to know more about the history of Paris. And I had enjoyed reading the Hemingway books that are so associated to Paris (Especially “A moveable feast” but “The Sun also rises” too)

And it turns out that the 3 main neighborhoods that Hemingway frequented are my favorite too and those where I spent the most of my time in Paris. As you may know already (!), I am a “left bank” person. And it’s where I was born and raised and this is where I live now.
I have always known and frequented most of all the places mentioned by Hemingway in “A moveable feast”.

However, before designing the tour, I sought out and checked all the addresses at which Hemingway had lived, every houses, hotels bars and restaurants, every street and block, I re-read his books* (the ones strongly linked to Paris, and I went again to all the “Hemingway’s addresses and hangouts. 

It was fun research and a real pleasure to work on designing this tour and it will be my pleasure to share it with you ! To take this walk with me or to get more information : Don’t hesitate to contact me : here

A few notes about “A day with Hemingway” walk with AJIP

My grand-parents in 1928 when they moved to the Latin Quarter

The Hemingway’s Latin Quarter : This is where Hemingway and Hadley settled in their first apartment in 1921, a very modest apartment in a working class neighborhood.      

With the exception of a few years, my grand-mother could have met Hemingway on the street or in a shop… !! For indeed, the street Hemingway used to go shopping was the one where my grand-mother loved to go to. And Hemingway and Hadley’s first apartment was located nearby the street where my grand-parents settled in the 30s

But Hemingway left Paris in 1928 (!), a short time after (one or two years) he divorced Hadley. And my grand-parents settled in this neighborhood around 1929… (!)

During our stroll through this part, we’ll see : a lively market street, the building where his first apartment was located, his favorite café located at a charming square. We’ll walk the same streets he used to walk to go either to the Luxembourg garden, to Gertrude Stein his friend and great supporter, or to the banks of the Seine. And we’ll pass by many other Hemingway’s spots

Hemingway in the courtyard of his 2d Paris home

Hemingway’s Montparnasse : a neighborhood where many artists lived, gathered and worked in the 1920s. It was the neighborhood of Hemingway‘s second apartment in Paris. Where he and Hadley moved  when they came back to Paris in 1927 (after their son was born in Toronto).

Of course, there was no chance for me to meet Hemingway (!!!!) , but the area where he lived (1924-1927) is my most favorite Paris area. The place where my secondary school was located and the neighborhood that I’ve so often preferently chosen, when a teenager, to meet my friends in cafés, to go to movie theaters and so on. A neighborhood I  favour, still now. And surely the area I’d like to choose if I had to change apartment.

When a teenager, I didn’t know about the rich history of Montparnasse… A few years later, I learnt about it, and it made me love Montparnasse even more

Where Hemingway used to stroll

During our stroll  through Montparnasse, we’ll see : His second home with Hadley, the home of Ezra Pound, the 4 cafés he loved (among them the Closerie des Lilas where he wrote almost the whole of “The Sun also rises”, the place where he met Scott Fitzgerald for the first time, hthe location of Gertrude Stein apartment (where they used to meet and discuss), l’hotel where he started his love affair with Pauline Pffeifer, the location of the bakery where he used to go, the hotel where Hadley felt so lonely after they separated.

Hemingway’s Saint Germain des Prés : This is where Hemingway and Hadley stayed the first days they arrived in Paris. This is also where numerous of his favorite cafés and restaurants are located too. And this is where the original Shakespeare and Company (owned by Sylvia Beach) was located too (So this is not the actual Shakespeare and Company, rue de la Bûcherie, that opened in 1951,long after Hemingway left Paris).

With Sylvia Beach (on the right side) at Shakespeare and Company

Sylvia Beach was the owner of this lending library/bookshop,  which played a major role in Hemingway’s life when in Paris, alike in many other writers’s life. It was a gathering place for artists and particularly the American expatriate community (J Joyce, Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein and many more … ) Hemingway used to borrow books there.

One of my favorite places to meet friends, to wander by myself, to spend time in cafés, reading working dreaming.

During our stroll , we’ll see : the hotel where he stayed with Hadley during his first Paris days, the location of the original Shakespeare and Company, 2 restaurants he used to go regularly, 3 cafés he especially loved, his second home with Pauline, the Luxembourg Garden where he loved to wander, the location of the museum he used to go to and other spots

Some RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS : BELOW on this page : Books, article and the hotel where Hemingway stayed when he arrived in Paris

MORE PHOTOS OF HEMINGWAY’s PARIS at the BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE

 AJIP private walking tours

To take this walk with me or to get more information : Don’t hesitate to contact me : here

“A day with Hemingway” private walking tour, will take you from the Latin Quarter to Montparnasse, through Saint Germain des prés. We’ll walk the streets Hemingway used to walk and will stop at the places where he lived, at his favorite cafés and all the places that were important during his Paris years.

I’ll give you a small booklet with the list of the places we’ve seen and explored and in addition the list of the main other places he used to go to on the right bank (some of them he visited long after his Paris’ years) such as the Ritz.

“A day with Hemingway” walk, includes two breaks with a drink (included in the fees) in two of Hemingway’s favorite cafés

• If you prefer a shorter walk, we can focus on 2 of these 3 neighborhoods : any combination which suits you.  
• The whole walk can be divided into two parts too (on two different days)

If you’re coming to Paris soon and feel like discovering the Paris of Hemingway, if you’re passionate about Paris in the 1920s, about discovering the city off the beaten path, wether you’re a fan of Hemingway or not, Don’t hesitate to contact me 

• List of AJIP private tours – Here  – Each of the tours can be customized according to your wishes and interests : 
• About the booking and pricing: Here 

MORE PHOTOS OF HEMINGWAY’s PARIS at the BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE

My recommendations and suggestions :

You don’t have to have read Hemingway’s books or his biographies to enjoy “A day with Hemingway”

But if you haven’t, our walk may make you want to know more about Hemingway’s life, about Hemingway’s work and about his love story with Hadley ! Here some suggestions

• “A moveable feast” by Hemingway (his Paris’ memoir) – Written after his Paris years. Published in 1964 by Mary Hemingway, his 4th wife, 3 years after Hemingway’s death. 
• “The Sun also rises” by Hemingway (1926) – The novel of the Lost Generation  – The setting at the beginning of the book takes place in Paris. – Hemingway’s first novel, written while he was in Paris and which established him as a writer of genius.

• “The Paris’ wife“ – by Paula Mc Lain – The story of Hadley and Hemigway’s relationship from its beginning to its heartbreaking ending
• “Midnight in Paris” (2011) – the movie, by Woody Allen. “A moveable feast” has provided inspiration for Woody Allen’s movie. Midnight in Paris is set in the Paris of the 1920s as portrayed in Hemingway’s memoir The movie features the figures of Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and uses the phrase “A moveable Feast’ in 2 sentences. 
• “Paris without end : the true story of Hemingway’s wife” by Gioia Diliberto
• “The Paris‘ husband” by Scott Donaldson (2018)
• “Hemingway in Love, his own story” a book by AE Hotchner (one of his close friends)
• And I invite you to read this article : Ernest Hemingway in Love 
• HOTEL d’ANGLETERRE : You can stay in the hotel where Hemingway and Hadley stayed during their first days in Paris. The room (room 14) is unchanged. It has to be reserved far in advance – 44 rue Jacob – Paris 6 – Website of the hotel d’Angleterre https://www.hotel-dangleterre.com
  

  Room 14 – Hotel d’Angleterre – 44 rue Jacob – Paris 6

MORE PHOTOS

Where Hemingway like to stroll and shop

Sylvia Beach and Adrienne Monnier at Shakespeare and Company (the original bookshop !)

Ernest Hemingway at his desk, working

Ernest Hemingway  holding John (Bumby) Hemingway.
Please Credit: “Ernest Hemingway Photograph Collection. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.”

Hadley with Bumby in their Montparnasse apartment

Shakespeare and Company, the original bookshop in Saint Germain des Prés

Ernest Hemingway with his son Bumpy (Jack), Paris 1925

Gertrude Stein, who welcomed, support and helped Hemingway