Pauline Pfeiffer
Encyclopedia
Pauline Marie Pfeiffer was the second wife of the writer Ernest Hemingway
. She was born in Parkersburg, Iowa
, on July 22, 1895, moving to St. Louis in 1901 where she went to school at Visitation Academy of St. Louis
. Although her family moved to Piggott, Arkansas
, Pfeiffer stayed in Missouri to study at University of Missouri School of Journalism, graduating in 1918. After working at newspapers in Cleveland and New York, Pfeiffer switched to magazines, working for Vanity Fair
and Vogue
. A move to Paris for Vogue led to her meeting Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley Richardson
.
In the spring of 1926, Hadley became aware of his affair with Pauline, and in July Pauline joined the couple for their annual trip to Pamplona
. On their return to Paris, Hadley and Hemingway decided to separate; and in November she formally requested a divorce. They were divorced in January 1927. Hemingway married Pauline in May, and they went to Le Grau-du-Roi
to honeymoon. Pauline's family was wealthy and Catholic; before the marriage Hemingway converted to Catholicism. By the end of the year Pauline, who was pregnant, wanted to move back to America. John Dos Passos
recommended Key West
, and they left Paris in March 1928.
They had two sons Patrick
and Gregory. Hemingway went to Spain in 1937 and there began an affair with Martha Gellhorn
. He and Pfeiffer were divorced on November 4, 1940, and he married Gellhorn three weeks later. Pfeiffer spent the rest of her life in Key West with frequent visits to California until her death on October 21, 1951.
Pfeiffer's difficult labor with one son was the fictional basis for Catherine's death in A Farewell to Arms
. Her devout Roman Catholic beliefs led to her supporting the Fascists during the Spanish Civil War, while Hemingway backed the Loyalists.
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
. She was born in Parkersburg, Iowa
Parkersburg, Iowa
Parkersburg is a city in Butler County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,870 in the 2010 census, a decline from 1,889 in the 2000 census. Parkersburg, although not the county seat, has the highest population of all the cities in Butler County....
, on July 22, 1895, moving to St. Louis in 1901 where she went to school at Visitation Academy of St. Louis
Visitation Academy of St. Louis
Visitation Academy of St. Louis is a private, all-girls, Roman Catholic high school in St. Louis, Missouri. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis.-History:...
. Although her family moved to Piggott, Arkansas
Piggott, Arkansas
Piggott, Arkansas is a city in Clay County, Arkansas, one of that county's two seats . It is also the northern terminus of the Arkansas segment of Crowley's Ridge Parkway. As of the 2000 census, Piggott's population was 3,894. The town was founded by William N...
, Pfeiffer stayed in Missouri to study at University of Missouri School of Journalism, graduating in 1918. After working at newspapers in Cleveland and New York, Pfeiffer switched to magazines, working for Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
and Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
. A move to Paris for Vogue led to her meeting Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley Richardson
Hadley Richardson
Elizabeth Hadley Richardson married writer Ernest Hemingway in 1921. She was born the youngest daughter to a St. Louis family. After Hadley fell out of a window as a child, her mother became overprotective and curtailed her activities from then on...
.
In the spring of 1926, Hadley became aware of his affair with Pauline, and in July Pauline joined the couple for their annual trip to Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
. On their return to Paris, Hadley and Hemingway decided to separate; and in November she formally requested a divorce. They were divorced in January 1927. Hemingway married Pauline in May, and they went to Le Grau-du-Roi
Le Grau-du-Roi
Le Grau-du-Roi is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. It is the sole commume in Gard to have a frontage on the Mediterranean. To the west is Herault and La Grande-Motte, and to the east is the department of Bouches-du-Rhone...
to honeymoon. Pauline's family was wealthy and Catholic; before the marriage Hemingway converted to Catholicism. By the end of the year Pauline, who was pregnant, wanted to move back to America. John Dos Passos
John Dos Passos
John Roderigo Dos Passos was an American novelist and artist.-Early life:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Dos Passos was the illegitimate son of John Randolph Dos Passos , a distinguished lawyer of Madeiran Portuguese descent, and Lucy Addison Sprigg Madison of Petersburg, Virginia. The elder Dos Passos...
recommended Key West
Key West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....
, and they left Paris in March 1928.
They had two sons Patrick
Patrick Hemingway
Patrick Hemingway is Ernest Hemingway's second son, and the first born to Hemingway's second wife Pauline Pfeiffer. During his childhood he travelled frequently with his parents, and then attended Harvard University, graduated in 1950, and shortly thereafter moved to East Africa where he lived for...
and Gregory. Hemingway went to Spain in 1937 and there began an affair with Martha Gellhorn
Martha Gellhorn
Martha Gellhorn was an American novelist, travel writer and journalist, considered by The London Daily Telegraph amongst others to be one of the greatest war correspondents of the 20th century. She reported on virtually every major world conflict that took place during her 60-year career...
. He and Pfeiffer were divorced on November 4, 1940, and he married Gellhorn three weeks later. Pfeiffer spent the rest of her life in Key West with frequent visits to California until her death on October 21, 1951.
Pfeiffer's difficult labor with one son was the fictional basis for Catherine's death in A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Ernest Hemingway concerning events during the Italian campaigns during the First World War. The book, which was first published in 1929, is a first-person account of American Frederic Henry, serving as a Lieutenant in the ambulance...
. Her devout Roman Catholic beliefs led to her supporting the Fascists during the Spanish Civil War, while Hemingway backed the Loyalists.
Sources
- Mellow, James R. Hemingway: A Life Without Consequences. Houghton Mifflin (1992). New York. ISBN 0-395-37777-3
- Meyers, Jeffrey. Hemingway: A Biography. MacmillanMacmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
(1985). London. ISBN 0-333-42126-4