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Falstaff Bar

The Falstaff Bar, on Rue du Montparnasse became the usual haunt of Hemingway and Callaghan, often heading there for drinks after their sparring sessions at the American Club. The bartender, Jimmy, was a friend of Hemingway’s; an ex-boxer. As the narrative progresses, Callaghan also becomes friendly with Jimmy. 

You can find the bar on this digital map by searching for 'Falstaff'. 

“And in the oak-panelled Falstaff, Jimmy behind the bar, and Hemingway coming in, looking lonely, then his face lighting up with his quick sweet smile when he saw us, friends he could feel free to sit down with. It was all too vivid in my mind.” (http://fitzgerald.narod.ru/bio/callaghan-thatsum.html)

This excerpt shows Callaghan fondly reminiscing of his time in Paris after learning of Hemingway’s death. The significance of this is that when he does so, he imagines the Falstaff Bar as the venue. This highlights how important the bar was to him; it was a place where he and Hemingway and a number of other friends had sat, time and time again, drinking and enjoying each other’s company. The Falstaff Bar becomes a sentimental temple for Callaghan, having spent some wonderful times there. The language used here in reference to Hemingway; “face lighting up” and “sweet smile”, illustrates the happy memories Callaghan has of the bar, his friends, and the time he spent there.

 

Below is an image from Google Maps (Street View) of the Falstaff Bar, still in business today.

 

falstaff.jpgWORKS CITED

Callaghan, Morley. 1963. That Summer in Paris: Memories of Tangled Friendships with Ernest Hemingway and Scott Fitzgerald. Available at: http://fitzgerald.narod.ru/bio/callaghan-thatsum.html

http://aelang.net/projects/glassco.htm

http://maps.google.co.uk/