Just Read “A Movable Feast” and “The Years” 

These are two memoirs of life in France from Nobel laureates, that’s why I read them together and also where the similarities end. 

“A Movable Feast” details Parisian life (mostly) from 1921-1926, around the time that Hemingway (Hem) would transition from journalism to fiction writing and compose his first novel “The Sun Also Rises.” Unfortunately, this was not written during that time when Hemingways writing was at its sharpest and there isn’t a lot to tell beyond his associations with the other famous writers and artists. The (famous) section about (F) Scott Fitzgerald is the most famous and entertaining character study. The rest is a bit dull and often feels dated (Gertrude Stein) or self pitying (the starving artist who lives meagerly but refuses to “sell out”). 

“The Years” is perhaps the best memoir I’ve read. This book narrates the author’s life from her youth after WWII, early adulthood, and middle age. Personal detail are not the focus of the narrative but rather used to describe the experiencing the history of each time period. Without sympathy, Ernaux describes working-class girlhood during the post-war rebuilding phase, sexuality before the legalization of contraception and abortion (as well as the legalization of both), the legalization of “no fault” divorce, family dynamics with adult children, and technological changes moving into the 21st century. This all takes place in ~230 (non-Proustian) pages that mix memories (both personal and consumerist) with stark personal and cultural analysis.