Kiki of Montparnasse Is Brought Back to Life

  ByMaryBlume

  Published:SATURDAY,JUNE12,1999

  PARIS:Bythe1920s,Montparnassewassofamousthatonecould,itwassaid,buyadirectticketfromDesMoines,Iowa,totheCaféduDome.ThequartersamplehubwasKiki,theartistsmodelandgood-timegirlwhowas,ErHemingwaywrote,"aboutascloseaspeoplegetnowadaystobeingaQueenbutthat,ofcourse,isverydifferentfrombeingalady."

  HemingwayswordsefromhisprefacetoKikismemoirs,writtenin1929whenshewasjust28.Thereisclearlysomethingtobesaidforwritingmemoirswhenyoung:alongwithKikis,theliveliestevocationoftheperiodisJohnGlasscos"MemoirsofMontparnasse,"pletedwhenhewas23andthought,wrongly,thathewasdyingfromtuberculosis."ThecelebratedKiki"wasohefirstlocalshemet.

  "Hermaquillagewasaworkofartinitself…hermouthpaintedadeepscarletthatemphasizedtheslyerotichumorofitstours,"Glasscowrote."HerfacewasbeautifulfromeveryaIlikeditbestinfullprofile,whenithadthelinealpurityofastuffedsalmon."

  KikiaintedbySoutine,Modigliani,FoujitaandKislingandmostfamouslyphotographedbyManRay,whoselovershewasfhtstormyyears.Shesangbawdysongsinnightclubs,showedhernaivepaintingsatwhatthePariseditionoftheChicagoTribunecalled"themostsuccessfulvernissageoftheyear,"andin1929wasnamedQueenofMontparnasse.

  ThememoirsshewrotethatyearwererepublishedthisspringinParisbyHazan(anAmerieditiolastyear)inarichlyillustratededitionpiledbyBillyKluver,whowasastudentinPariswhenKikidiedin1953andrememberstheneicturesofFoujitaandotherartistsgatheredatherdeathbed.TheNewYorkTimesprintedanobituaryandLifemagazinegaveKikithreepages,endingwithamemoryfromoneofherchums,"Welaughed,myGodhowwelaughed."

  BornAliestinePrininBurgundy,Kikihadawretchedchildhoodthatcouldoolaughterordespair,andbeingsolidandbraveshechoselaughter.Herparentswereunmarried,hermother,alinotypist,wenttoParisaKikiwithhergrandmother,whomsheadored.Shedidntlearnmuschool,shewrote,becauseherteacherdislikedthepoora12,shewasobligedtojoiherinParistofindwork,sheboardedthetrainwithasausageandredwine"toshowoffandtohidemysorrow."

  Harsh,degradingjobsfollowed,lightenedbyherlifelongjoyindecoratingherself.Shewouldcrumbleapetalfromhermothersfakegeraniumstogivecolortohercheeksandwasfiredfromanastyjobatabakerybecauseshedarkenedhereyebrowswithburntmatchsticks.

  Withherlargeandsplendidbodyshedriftedintoposingforartists,includingUtrillowho,toherastonishmentwhenshelookedathisvas,hadpaintedalandscape.Shewasalsodoingsuialjobsasdishwashing."IwassofilledwithgaietythatIwasntaffectedbymypovertyandwordsliketheblueswerelikeHebrewtome—Isimplydidntuandthem."

  Largeinspiritand,increasingly,ingirthasManRaysphotosovertheyearsshow,KikiwasanaturalforMontparevennaturalsusehelp;shemovedinwithanamiablejournalistnamedHenriBrocaafterbreakingupwithManRayin1929.

  DjunaBarneshadalreadydescribedKikiforanAmerimagazine,"Charm,"in1924,andloglish-languageneersregularlyrecordedheractivities;Brocacreatedalittlenewsmagazine,"Paris-Montparnasse,"andpublishedthefirstchaptersofhermemoirs.

  EdwardTitus,whohadasmallpublishinghouseinParisandhadjustpublished"LadyChatterleysLover,"hiredSamuelPutnamtotranslateKikismemoirs.BeCerfofRandomHouseordered150copies,whichwereseizedbyAmerisofficers.Eventoday,Kluversays,thememoirsarekeptinaspecialreserveseoftheNewYorkPublicLibrary.

  Itishardtoseewhy.Theyarefilledwithabuoyantinnootgenerous.Hershamelessnessmeantthatsheremainedsimple,notthatshewascorrupt."AllIneedinlifeisanonion,abitofbreadandabottleofredwine,andIllalwaysfindsomeoogivemethat,"shesaidlateinlife.

  Hermemoirstellofhersqualidchildhood,theearlydaysinMontparnassewhen"Papa"LibioherwiselovableownerofLaRotonderefusedherentrahecafésmainroombecauseshedidnthaveahat.ShequicklyiedaicaldbecameoneofLibionsfavorites.

  "Ihadfoundmyrealmilieu,"shewrote."Thepaintersadoptedme.Finished,sadness.SometimesIdidnthaveenoughtoeatbutthejokesmademefetallthat."

  In1923shespentthreemonthsinNewYork,bewilderedbythelocalhabitofdrinkingboozefromteacups—shedoesohaveheardofProhibition—andhopingforafilmtract.However,onthedayofherParamou,sherealizedshehadfottenherbandnevershowedup."Itsforthebest,"sheremarkedtypically."Itsmuicertogotothemoviesthantomakethem."

  Twoyearslater,insdalousVillefranche,wherehomosexualsandlocaltartspetedforvisitingsailors("CocteauandIhadthesamepassionforallthatesfromthesea,"shedelicatelynoted),shesluggedacaféooliandutinthepokey.Shegotasuspendedsentence,whenManRayarrivedwithfundstopaythefine,amedicalcertificatestatingshewasofnervousdisposition,aersfronandDesnossayingshewasaseriousartist.

  ThereaftersheseemstohavestayedinMontparnassewhere,shewrote,"Peoplearebroadmindedandwherewhatwouldbecrimeelsewhereisjustapeccadillo."Ieryearssheroamedthecafés,singinginacrackedvoidcadgingdrinks.Eveniy,shevisitedelderlyhospitalpatientstthemcheerandwhatgiftsshecouldfind.

  Bytheearly1950sRonaldSearlesketchedherinacafé,adiminishedfigurewithstragglyhairand,worse,terriblythin.Oeeplytednose("Shehadawonderfulseemedtojutoutintospace,"saidAlexanderCalder,whoportrayeditinawiresculpturecalled"KikisNose")suggestedtheformerKiki.In1953,shecollapsedoutsideherflatontherueBreaintheheartofMontparnasse,anddied.

  HercheerfulalityremainedasymbolofthegoldenageofMontparnasse,eventothedistinguishedscholarLeonEdel,biographerofHenryJames,whodescribedhisreturnduringtheliberationin1944toacityofglumdespair."Forabriefmomentthecaféswerefilledwithpeople:IsuddenlyrememberedKikiofMontparhemidstofwar,ihroreet,IcouldsmellchicoryandPernod,thepervasivetabadstalebeer."松语文学www.16sy.coM免费小说阅读

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