It is still difficult to comprehend what happened in Paris last weekend. Tonight as I write this there are reports of terrorist threats on cities as diverse as Brussels and Atlanta. Inside a crowded downtown Manhattan cafe, we hear a police siren and fire truck pass and all of us raise our heads and look to the window. Tomorrow I will go to work near Times Square and I can’t help imagining what if…
It’s easy to fall prey to the most crippling fear when the bad guys seem to be maniacally spinning a desktop globe of the world and stopping it randomly, their only strategy of attack apparently pointing to a colored landmass with a dirty fingernail. But we just can’t allow ourselves to get mired down in the headlines…
…unless the headline is this one:
Hemingway’s Paris Memoir Flies Off Shelves in Show of Defiance
A Moveable Feast, or Paris est une Fête in French, first published in 1964, Hemingway’s gorgeous account of life in Paris during the 1920s, is undergoing a resurgence in popularity across France. Amazon.fr orders have increased 50-fold. Copies have been laid alongside the flowers honoring the deceased. Social media movements such as #jesuisenterasse or #everyonettothebistrot call Parisians to continue to get out and live the life that their unique city offers. Everything the book celebrates, and Paris represents, is here in these words of Hemingway’s:
“We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm together and loved each other.”
My novel Silk for the Feed Dogs, centering on a group of creative young expats mingling in Milan, is available here
Cool logo, though I doubt I’ll be filling my wardrobe with his clothing (I have a Louis Vuitton tie that cost more than the suit and long wool coat I wear it with. Combined.) I may have to reread the Hemingway book. Did you ever live in Paris on your journey through the fashion world? I know Kat ended the book there…
Then I suggest you wear that tie with aplomb! (As I’m sure you do :-)) It’s a great time for a reread. It’s actually the only Hemingway that I enjoy. This book is up there with my favorites yet otherwise his writing holds no appeal for me at all. I got a job offer in Paris but for whatever reason never took it, heading to Milan instead…
Great commentary and I didn’t know about either the book or the logo! Thank you for broadening my horizons!!
Happy to deliver where I can, Huntress! Are you married yet? DId I miss it in my delirium of the last few weeks? (4956 emails unread…seems a lot and growing…)
Yes!! I am a wedded huntress! Only a few weeks ago- you’re not behind the times, don’t worry. And what? That number of emails makes me feel anxious just hearing it…!
http://thefashionhuntress.me/2015/10/12/wonderful-wedding/ :)!!
A wedded huntress, I love it! Congratulations!
I’m off now to put a cold flannel on me forehead and block out all thought of those unopened emails…gulp…
A lovely tribute. Kudos for your spirit and hats off to the courage of all those who are outside on the ‘térrasses.’
Thank you and all those in France who are staying strong and resilient. Stay safe.
Well said Jackie!! I bought the book only recently and it immediately transported me to the city I love. I have shed many tears over the past week and am still trying to comprehend how we broke our world so badly but my defiance is in tact and I will go about my cultural pursuits as always….in honour of those who no longer can. And today I’m sporting pom-poms…. Xx
Pom poms, it is for Monday! Grand. Carry on! XO
I will also remain strong in the honour of those who no longer can because bullies will never win xxxxxx
Hope you and yours are all well, Kate XO!
Pingback: Jackie Mallon about the aftermath of the Paris attacks and “A Moveable Feast” | Betimes Books
🙂 I’ve heard about the book quite a few times in the last few days, but never read it. I guess it’s a “must” now.
And the logo is quite cool (and you know how much I like vintage LV), although I had no idea it was created by the LV people.
I always learn from you… xo 🙂
Come to Paris and spend your money on the food, clothes and of course Christmas trinkets. It is still lovely here. Those cowardly terrorists can’t stop Christmas.
Sandra. I would be there in a heartbeat if I could! But not to worry as I will take a raincheck soon I hope.
I wish I could leave for Paris right now. So many memories, so much time spent there (including at Bataclan) and so much I would like to show my support. May Paris stay Paris forever.
Jackie, like the Huntress, I didn’t know about the book either. Thanks for bringing it into my radar, a most timely read (much as I prefer London to Paris)!
I saw there was a run on A Moveable Feast, but since I had never read it … I think the logo is lovely. Poets write poems to express their feelings, musicians music, etc. So for Vuitton, it is a logo, it is his art. And I love your writing on this horror as well. The last thing the terrorists want us to feel is hope.