In A Moveable Feast, Hemingway observed that a work of fiction can cast light on what is thought to be true. There are no practical or objective reasons for another scholarly biography of Hemingway. He remains one of the major literary icons of the last century and has come to represent a way of living; a legend as opposed to someone who lived a full life and experienced as many regrets as the next man. There is an End to Paris evokes the spirit, impact, feel, scent, sound and essence of the man behind the myths, parodies and legend. Even some unfamiliar with the author's work and life will find it a fascinating read. Some with his life and work will find it an odyssey of drink, conversation, moodiness, determination, artistry, charisma, fishing, love and chasing what Hemingway most regretted losing - his youth. Truly, the book provides an opportunity to share experiences with the Nobel Laureate. There is an End to Paris takes Hemingway to places he enjoyed and in which is remembered. The author is alternately interesting, grandiose, petty, boorish, charismatic, harsh, kind, sentimental, boastful and regretful as he reflects about his craft, successes, struggles, competitors, wives, mother, loves, friends, family, involvement in wars, fishing, bullfighting and life. The approach is unique, evoking the spirit, impact, feel, sound and essence of the man. Some recent biographies depict him as either a boor or a god with much distortion through projection on the part of the authors. The challenge is to present him as he was: a sometimes extraordinary, sometimes ordinary, fallible and many times troubled man. Hemingway reflects about his life with Pauline in Key West; sits at the head of the Senator's table and holds court at Harry's Bar in Venice; remembers the night he was wounded as he walks what was the battlefield in Fossalta di Piave; engages in a lively exchange about the Spanish Civil War in Chicote's (Madrid); experiences a last running the bulls in Pamplona, discusses his literary peers and competitors at El Floridita in Havana and ponders what it would be like to see Paris again. There are other places and conversations. Whether the subject is Roberto Rosselini, James Joyce, Faulkner, Fitzgerald or Mailer, Hemingway is sometimes as caustic as the critics he hated. He is unsparing in his views of Martha Gellhorn, somewhat kinder about Mary, complimentary about Hadley and ambivalent about what happened between him and Pauline. The assessments of an author's own work are rarely objective. Others have indicated as follows about There is an End to Paris: It is, I agree, a fascinating premise with solid writing and well-researched detail. G. P. Putnam's Sons This is an ambitious novel, and I admire the way the author has conceived of analyzing much-discussed literary history. Houghton Mifflin I found the book well-wrought and certainly imaginative; Hemingwayophiles will certainly find much to savor. Random House/Berthelsman Ernest Hemingway is certainly an eternal and most intriguing literary icon, and it is obvious Mr. Bessette has done quite a lot of research of the great writer's life. St. Martin's Press The premise and supporting characters are fictional. The research is equal to that of a major, scholarly work. Many observations are based on correspondence with Mary Hemingway and time spent in Madrid, Pamplona and other parts of Spain, Paris, Venice, Fossalta di Piave, Schruns, Key West, Oak Park, Havana, Cojimar and at the Finca Vigia. The book succeeds in conveying what it was like to be with Hemingway. There is much fun to be had along the way.
About the Author: Roland L. Bessette is an attorney. He teaches labor and employment law at Penn State University. His published work includes a biography of Mario Lanza. He resides on Cape Cod.