Hemingway’s Paris: A Tour of His Life and Work with Context

Hemingway may have only lived in Paris between 1921 and 1928, but his years in the City of Light have come to represent the quintessential artist’s experience. On this walking tour through the Latin Quarter with novelist and Context Travel expert, Samuél Lopez-Barrantes, you‘ll come to understand why Hemingway‘s seemingly perfect Parisian story serves as both inspiration and a cautionary tale for artists in search of fame and wealth. You‘ll hear about the transformative moments in Hemingway‘s life, including the mysterious trunk of lost manuscripts that birthed his groundbreaking theory of omission (or Iceberg Theory) and how his experience on the Italian Front during World War I impacted him.

Starting in front of the author‘s first Parisian home, you‘ll embark on a journey to see where young Ernest lived and worked. As you make your way through Place de la Contrescarpe to the studio where Hemingway spent his days writing, Samuél will tell you how Sherwood Anderson and Gertrude Stein, crucial mentors in Hemingway‘s inner circle, connected him with literary luminaries like James Joyce and Ezra Pound. You‘ll pass by the Church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, the steps featured in the film Midnight in Paris, and the Panthéon on your way to the Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore, where you‘ll hear about Hemingway‘s upbringing. From there you‘ll make your way through Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Garden) to see Hemingway‘s last home in Paris. Our tour ends at the location of the original Shakespeare and Company, the English-language bookstore where Hemingway first started reading the greats, meeting numerous authors, and learning about the art of fiction.

On this walking tour through the Latin Quarter, you‘ll:

• Take in Hemingway‘s writing studio, which some Parisians don’t even know about
• Get a sense of how Gertrude Stein became one of Ernest‘s earliest mentors and supporters
• Find out how, in 1923, Hemingway found his literary voice
• See the location of the original Shakespeare and Company
• Discover which artists were considered part of the Lost Generation, and what the term means
• Hear about Hemingway‘s poignant love story with Agnes Von Kurowsky, a nurse whose Dear John letter altered the course of the writer’s life
• Take in Place Saint-Sulpice and its church, featured in a 1933 novel by Zelda Fitzgerald
• Learn how Sherwood Anderson‘s support shaped Hemingway‘s trajectory and also facilitated his integration into Paris‘ vibrant artistic community
• Become familiar with Hemingway‘s time in the Italian Front and how he saved several soldiers from certain death, receiving the Italian War Merit Cross for his bravery

By the end of this 60-minute tour, you‘ll have seen 1920s Paris through the extraordinary lens of Hemingway and unraveled some of the myths around the iconic writer‘s time in the City of Light.