At first Hadley worries that they do not have enough money to bet, but they end up making an enjoyable day out of it, packing sandwiches and a bottle of wine with them. One morning Hemingway buys a racing paper and decides to go to the races. This “false spring” is “truly sad” and “frightening” to him.

He notes that sometimes the weather in Paris brightens after the winter, only to turn cold and rainy again. Hemingway enjoys the walk from his apartment to the River Seine, where he strolls past stalls selling books and fishermen catching fish called goujon. Sometimes Hemingway sees James Joyce eating with his wife Nora and their two children at the expensive restaurant Michaud’s, but he cannot afford to go there himself. Hemingway admits that they clash over the issue of sexuality, due to the fact that Hemingway is somewhat sexually conservative.ĭuring his time in Paris Hemingway cannot afford to buy books, but Sylvia Beach allows him to join the rental library of Shakespeare and Company, her English-language bookshop, at a discounted rate. She is a hugely influential figure in the Parisian artistic and literary community. Stein serves as a mentor to Hemingway, advising him on writing, buying art, and other matters. He often goes to visit Gertrude Stein at her home at 27 rue de Fleurus, where she lives with her partner, Alice B. He sometimes struggles with writer’s block, but when this happens reassures himself that all he needs to do is “write one true sentence” and the rest will follow. When they return, the weather in Paris is beautiful, but still cold, and Hemingway is always hungry. Later, he goes home and makes plans to go on a trip with his wife, Hadley.

He stares at the woman, and the sight of her inspires his writing. He goes to work in a café, where he sees a beautiful woman. Hemingway begins by describing the “bad weather” during the winter in Paris and the cafés filled with alcoholics.

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway