Quote:
Originally Posted by King Brown
Under the circumstances, his faculties gone, like an old samaurai he fell on his sword. I don't fault him for that; except for the noise and mess, almost an act of grace. I wouldn't have enjoyed his company. His writing, of course, was often peerless. Martha Gellhorn was a better reporter and better person. My father imbibed wisdom at Stein's on Rue Madame, and my Paris friends have an apartment a few doors away.
Put it down to chauvinism: his posturing was so insufferable to me that I take some pleasure from the Canadian writer half his size, Morley Callaghan, giving him a boxing lesson in Paris, knocking him on his ass. Hemingway blamed Fitzgerald, the timer, for extending the round beyond three minutes.
I worked in the company of Callaghan and his son Barry, now also a distinguished writer. But for all that, the No. 2 print of Karsh's famous turtleneck photo of Hemingway watches over my desk. He inspires still.
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Mr. Brown; your father was at Gertrude Stein's apartment in Paris! What interesting stories he must have told! Do you recall any of his pearls of wisdom that she imparted? When I ponder Stein's writing I think of the Rose times 3 and what a lousy place Oakland was. I can't recall reading anything that she wrote. Nor do I recall how she and her brother Leon made their money. Did they have a fortune? They were from SFO as I recall.
Hemingway, in the late 50's went back to his Parisian haunts and even found one of his favorite waiters, who recalled him and brought him to his old seat. I visited Sloppy Joes fifty years ago when the original owner still owned it and it was like it was when Hem knew it. He pointed me to Hem's favorite bar stool. It was to the left of the pass through. Today that place looks nothing like it did in the 60's.
The Pilar still lives, but sits on dry land behind the his Cuban home that is now a museum, but you can't go inside. Tourists have to peek through the windows.
Just this morning I was reading a collection of Hem's hunting stories. Yes, indeed he still does inspire.