Chink Dorman-Smith
Black Forest
Gasthaus Rossele
Paris was very hot and humid in the Summer of 1922.
In August, Ernest got a passport for himself and Hadley for travel to Germany. They were going to go on a hiking tour and fishing trip in the Black Forest region where they hoped that it would be cooler.
They invited Bill Bird and his wife Sally, and Lewis Galantiere and his fiance, Dorothy Butler to come along.
The dollar was being exchanged at 605 marks to a dollar, so Ernest was counting on a vacation that wouldn't break the household funds. He was also hoping to get some material for a story that he could sell to The Star.
Earnest and Hadley decided to fly from Paris to Strasbourg to save eight hours of travelling by train. Hadley was eager for the adventure of her first flight and took the two and a half hour flight in such stride that she fell asleep before the landing.
The six hikers met in Strasbourg on August 3rd and crossed into Germany. They headed to Triberg to fish, but they were not pleased with the crowds of Germans - who were not pleased with them. Ernest thought the Germans to be loud, rude, and rough with women. They managed to get some fishing in away from the crowds of German hikers. Hadley was becoming quite skilled at catching trout.
One day near Oberprechtal the thirsty and hungry hikers stopped at an inn for rooms and food. The innkeeper refused to serve them. He was still bitter towards foreigners because Germany had lost the war. They hiked an additional four miles of "hot, white road" until they came upon the Gasthaus Rossele or Inn of the Pony. It seems that the pony is the favorite symbol of Black Forest inn keepers. Here they were given rooms and they were served food and beer.
By mid-August, the Birds, Galantiere and Dorothy Butler were heading back to Paris. Ernest and Hadley continued alone down the Rhine to Coblenz. There they met Eric "Chink" Dorman-Smith, a friend of Ernest's since 1918 when they met in Italy. (He would become the godfather of the Hemingway's first child. Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas were the joint godmothers.)
Hemingway managed to get three stories forThe Toronto Daily Star: "German Inn-Keepers," "A Paris-To-Strasbourg Flight," and "German Inflation."
The Hemingways returned to Paris by train on August 31st.
13 comments:
Another nice post, Paul.
It's amazing how much more mature Ernest looked when he grew the mustache. The lad smiling in those wedding pictures compared to the beret-wearing young writer is two different people. I guess people had to grow up quickly in those days, unlike now where you can't even get your kids to move out before they're forty! ;)
Hi CK, thanks for stopping by and commenting.
You are right about him being two different people in a few short years.
Then he transforms into the black bearded, tanned gent down in Key West a few years after the Paris years!
This is such a good story of Hadley and Hem, thanks for posting it Paul. Chink led an intersting life too and seemed like such a good friend to the Hemingways.
Allie
Hi Allie, "Chink" pops up frequently in "A Moveable Feast."
He seems like someone that Ernest could always count on. He had that British "Stiff Upper Lip" confidence.
A great post and wonderful photos, as always. Chink was one of EH's few lifelong friends of note. An interesting soldier of fortune type who deserves a book of his own as someone on the periphery of a legend.
Hi Joe,
Yes, I get that impression about "Chink" - he seems so fascinating & well-travelled, that there must be some great stories to be told.
Thanks for stopping by!
The pictures are beautiful. I wish I could go there.
Me too! Thanks for the visit!
BTW, that photo of "Dorman-Smith" is actually B.H. Liddell Hart. He looks like Chink, though.
Ahh, not good. I have that shot of him from Google Image Search - but Wikipedia has the guy you mentioned.
I'll throw one of his military shots in until I can find the one I want - him at the tennis court, with the sweater around his neck.
That's Chink's photo, now.
I don't know about that "British "Stiff Upper Lip" confidence - but "Chink" was the real deal.. Unlike Hem, he'd actually fought in the trenches and had been wounded multiple times.. and been awarded the Military Cross (& Bar). He was the role model for the impressionable Hemingway for quite a while. Think "Harris" in "The Sun Also Rises" was based on D-S.
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