Hemingway was a Jerk

 

Everybody Behaves Badly: The True Story Behind Hemingway's Masterpiece The Sun Also Rises by Lesley M. M. Blume, exposes nothing really new about Hemingway or his roman à clef.  We know that Hemingway was a jerk.  He started early in life, and it continued until he died.  I do not feel particularly sorry for any of the real-life people who Hemingway turned into characters in this novel.  They knew Hemingway – they were artists or writers or fellow travelers – did they not know he would write about them if the story was good?

That said, I feel bad about the fate of Lady Duff Twysden.  The author does an admirable job searching for evidence of her life (both before and after The Sun) and there is little remaining.  She died young, and her possessions appeared to have been thrown away.  There is a very sad story about her we will probably never learn.