Birth of a New School Summary and Analysis

Hemingway sits in the Closerie des Lilas, writing. When he is lucky, he is able to enter completely into his writing to imagine he is in the time and place he writes about. He carries a horse chestnut and a rabbit's foot for luck. When he is unlucky, someone interrupts him. This is what happens.

Someone he knows, a fellow writer, sits near him and begins talking to him. This angers Hemingway, who is unable on this occasion to control his temper. He curses at the visitor and asks him why he has come to the cafe. He hopes to himself that it is only a visit, and that the man and his friends are not planning on making this their own regular cafe. It is Hemingway's "home" cafe and he is protective...