The Nightinghouls of Paris [Hardcover]

Robert McAlmon (Author), Sanford J. Smoller (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 2007

The Nightinghouls of Paris is a thinly fictionalized memoir of the darker side of expatriate life in Paris. Beginning in 1928, the story follows the changes undergone by Canadian youths John Glassco and his friend Graeme Taylor during their (mis)adventures in Paris while trying to become writers. There they meet Robert McAlmon, who guides them through the city’s cafes, bistros, and nightclubs, where they find writers and artists including Kay Boyle (with whom Glassco has a fling), Bill Bird, Djuna Barnes, Claude McKay, Hilaire Hiler, Peggy Guggenheim, and Ernest Hemingway.

 

Fleeing France in late 1940, Robert McAlmon lost his notebook manuscripts and drafted 
The Nightinghouls of Paris from memory. Till now, it has existed solely as a typescript held by Yale University. Unlike most memoirs of American expatriates in the ‘20s, The Nightinghouls of Paris centers not only on writers, but also encompasses the racial, national, and social mélange they encountered in everyday life.    

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

A wild firsthand account of expatriate life in France during the close of the Twenties

 

The Nightinghouls of Paris is a thinly fictionalized memoir of the darker side of expatriate life in Paris. Beginning in 1928, the story follows the changes undergone by Canadian youths John Glassco and his friend Graeme Taylor during their (mis)adventures in Paris while trying to become writers. There they meet Robert McAlmon, who guides them through the city’s cafes, bistros, and nightclubs, where they find writers and artists including Kay Boyle (with whom Glassco has a fling), Bill Bird, Djuna Barnes, Claude McKay, Hilaire Hiler, Peggy Guggenheim, and Ernest Hemingway.

 

Fleeing France in late 1940, Robert McAlmon lost his notebook manuscripts and drafted The Nightinghouls of Paris from memory. Till now, it has existed solely as a typescript held by Yale University. Unlike most memoirs of American expatriates in the ‘20s, The Nightinghouls of Paris centers not only on writers, but also encompasses the racial, national, and social mélange they encountered in everyday life.    

About the Author

Part of a group of talented expatriates based in Paris, Robert McAlmon (1895-1956) founded and ran Contact Editions, a leading publisher of avant-garde writers. He is the author of Being Geniuses Together (1938), which Kay Boyle later revised and supplemented. Until leaving teaching in 2002, Sanford J. Smoller taught at Florida International University. He is the author of Adrift among Geniuses:  Robert McAlmon, Writer and Publisher of the Twenties.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press; 1 edition (March 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252031350
• ISBN-13: 978-0252031359
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,461,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting!, April 17, 2009

By 

Ovy Quintanal - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Nightinghouls of Paris (Hardcover)

I pretty much picked up this book randomly as an option for coursework and I didn't think I would like it as much as I did. "The Nightinghouls of Paris", edited by Sanford Smoller, takes place in Paris in the 1920s. It is said that during that time, Paris was one of the most exciting places to be. The story really shows that. When the characters in the story meet Robert McAlmon he takes them around, showing them what life in Paris is about. It makes you wish you were living there during the 1920s. The nightlife seemed pretty intense. It is no wonder why so many writers resided there. Sometimes in order to have something good to write about you have to go out and experience life to the fullest. I became pretty envious. I wish I could have lived there during that time and it has me searching for the modern equivalent. When it came down to the style of the writing it was a bit more difficult than your average read. I have to admit, I really enjoyed the way I had to read between the lines when it came down to the more explicit material. It made it that much better.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not the most exciting book..., April 16, 2009

By 

Justin Chiu - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Nightinghouls of Paris (Hardcover)

The Nightinghouls of Paris by Robert McAlmon is about the lives of people who lived in Paris in the 1920s. It was mainly about the night lives of people and the journey but everything felt pretty out of place. Although it is very rare for me to connect with a book, The Nightinghouls of Paris was out of the league of any other book I've ever read. I couldn't help but get distracted while reading it because of the randomness that would be spread across every page. The book felt as if it was trying to capture everyone's attention by placing in famous names nearly everywhere in the story but somehow manages to turn you away. The story is crammed with things that would normally grab a young teenager's attention, like partying and sex, but is actually relatively boring. Overall this book is certainly not for everyone, especially not those who get turned off by randomness and clichés. Maybe it would be great for those who dream about meeting famous writers in the world but I'm certainly not one of them.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Nightinghouls of Paris, April 8, 2009

By 

K. Koehler (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Nightinghouls of Paris (Hardcover)

The fictional memoir written by Robert McAlmon was a dedication to the secret life that was created in the 1920s, and had an outpouring of the most random and odd literature I have ever read. It was not consistent, and I could not find myself getting into this book. McAlmon was a true intellect; however I could not make a connection with his readings. It was the type of book that you would have to read between the lines if you wanted to understand and get something in return. The time it took to read this book was not adequate for what I got out of it. The amount of name dropping that was being used turned me off. One page after another, more and more characters were being introduced which took away from an actual plot. The introduction of homosexuality in the literature was a seductive touch that made the book tolerable. I have always wanted to visit Paris, and this book gave a good description of what it used to be like in the 1920's. The unusual book manages to bring a combination of obscurity and reality onto the pages. There are many things that I enjoy reading, but this memoir was not one of them. I do not find it to be an important novel in the history of the Roaring Twenties, and the characters and story lacked a plot. The adventures of the young Canadians, John Glassco and Graeme Taylor were anything but entertaining. I would have enjoyed getting to meet Ernest Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald, and other characters described throughout the book; however it is not the same when you read it. It is similar to Britney Spears being in the cover of People magazine every week for anther accusation, but you truly don't care unless you were there. McAlmon's memoir was of the Paris that was. I am interested on the Paris that it has become.