Hadley CL

Hadley Richardson (1891-1979), Ernest Hemingway's first wife, was born into upper-class St. Louis society, the daughter of an alcoholic father who committed suicide and a mother who despised men. Drawing on Richardson and Hemingway's correspondence and her interviews with Richardson, Dilberto ( Debutante: The Story of Brenda Frazier ) presents an evocative portrait of their romance and five-year marriage (1921-1926). The book attributes the strength of Hemingway's early fiction to his love for Hadley, who supported him emotionally and financially, and theorizes that his subsequent personal problems stemmed from their breakup. Hadley credits Hemingway with giving her a capacity for joy and a sense of self. Their expatriate life in Europe was filled with literary friends, travels and hard drinking. A bittersweet story of young love steeped in the atmosphere of 1920's Paris. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour. (Apr.)