Celebrities from the famous Paris Cafes Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri de (1864-1901),
French postimpressionist painter who documented the bohemian nightlife of late 19th century Paris. He frequented the Moulin Rouge and other cabarets of the Montmartre district where his wit attracted a large group of artists and intellectuals. He also frequented the theater, circus, and Parisian brothels. He preserved his impressions of these places and their celebrities in his paintings.
Joyce, James Augustine Aloysius (1882-1941),
Irish novelist and poet. Joyce spent twenty years in Paris where he gathered frequently with the intellectuals and artists in the cafes to express his psychological perceptions and innovative ideas. He is considered by many as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.
Hemingway, Ernest Miller (1899-1961),
American novelist and short-story writer, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in fiction (1953) and the Nobel Prize in literature (1954). After he served as a volunteer ambulance driver in Italy during World War I, Hemingway settled in Paris. His adventurous spirit quickly led him to the cafes where he became one of the leading characters in the non-conformist nightlife. His book,
A Moveable Feast (1964) is an account of his early years in Paris. Kiki of Montparnasse (1901-1953), French model, singer, actress, painter. The queen of 1920s Paris has appeared in virtually every book
from the era. The star attraction at the artists' nightclub, The Jockey, Kiki was the most renowed and beloved woman of the period. She was friend and model of many artists, particularly Man Ray. Her book,
Kiki's Memoirs (1996), includes an introduction by Ernest Hemingway and photographs by Man Ray. Ray, Man (1890-1976),
American painter, photographer, and leading figure in the artistic avant-garde Paris of the 1920s. Some of his most renowned photographs are of Kiki, who was obsessed with the likes of Man Ray and modeled for him frequently. In his later years in France he published an autobiography,
Self Portrait (1963). Dos Passos, John Roderigo (1896-1970), American writer, educated at Harvard University. His wartime experience as an ambulance driver in France led Dos Passos to the Paris cafes,
his forum for expressing ideas about the hypocrisy and materialism of the United States in the 1920s and 30s. His writings are considered to have influenced several generations of Americans and European novelists.
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