France, as Artists Know It
"For once, I was going to be a writer who didn't have to do other people's work."
- Jack Kerouac
Artists believe that France would give them a free pass. During a short visit to Paris, Jack Kerouac find out why some American writers chose to stay there. He was unshaven, carrying a pack on his back, prompting many Parisians to ignore him. But he was pretending to be a hobo. He compared the metropolis to a French girl, with her sweet mouth and delightful way she talk French. He would contrast Paris and London, describing the latter as an independent gentleman puffing his pipe inside a pub.
Those who have been following the lives of authors understand Kerouac's sentiments too well. They only need to look at British authors, who flee their repressive society and settle in the continent for years, and their motto would be love, work, and suffer.
Montmartre, a hill located on the River Dolte, has lots of secrets. Pablo Picasso and the other great painters once lived there. They created some of their masterpieces, inspired by the camaraderie (and a bottle of wine). What happened in Montmartre stayed in Montmartre. Anaïs Nin, on the other hand, was never coy about what transpired between her and her contemporaries. The Eiffel Tower was a phallic symbol to her. The Cuban-born writer had a relationship with Henry Miller, who was aroused by the scent near Seine. ("Tropic of Cancer" was called out for its candid description of sexuality, but it was Miller's take on free speech.) Such were the happenings in the City of Lights, but the countryside offered something else.
It's just another dreary Sunday
It was Sunday afternoon when Kerouac set foot in Avignon. It was his second day in France, and he was like a school boy who visited a fair for the first time. He didn't mind if the inhabitants didn't return his (joyous) greetings, as he noticed how the countryside resembled a dreamy Cézanne painting. And then he discovered something else.
There was nothing to do on a Sunday afternoon. It was dreary, to say the least. Could this be the reason why Guy de Maupassant was driven to insanity? Kerouac imagined the housewives who were lonely and restless like Madame Bovary. In fact, the feeling of despondency was getting into Kerouac by the time he traveled through Nord-Pas-de-Calais. He was eager to cross the channel, as it was raining during the month of April.
If they are alive right now
Social media would have an effect on their imagination if they were alive right now. Furthermore, climate change might have prompted Kerouac to think differently. He would stay longer in the French countryside, probably forgetting his trip to London. But this was the France he knew. It seemed to be a distant memory, if not a page from a fairy tale.
As for Montmartre, visitors only need to go to Place du Tertre. Street artists make a living, and a few of them are hoping to have a career like Picasso's. It can happen, as this is the part of the script that remains unchanged.
