Evan Shipman at the Lilas Summary and Analysis

When Hemingway first discovers Shakespeare and Company, he begins to read Russian authors like Turgenev, Tolstoi, Chekhov and Dostoevsky. He immerses himself in these authors and their clear, rich stories. This is a time when a person can live well in Paris on little money and having time to read these authors is "like having a great treasure given to you," he writes.

Hemingway tries to engage Ezra Pound in conversation about the Russian authors, but Pound says he has not read them. He encourages Hemingway to read French authors. Hemingway is somewhat dismayed the Pound seems to dismiss the Russians.

Hemingway returns to his apartment from Pound's studio and finds his wife and son are out. The landlady tells him a man stopped by to see him and is waiting for him...