History Pages
The essence of it all
On July 28 , 1962 , Ge rald Murphy , the inspiration for Dr . Richard Diver ’ s character from « Tender is the Night », gave an interview to « The New Yorker ». Gerald had outlived Fitzgerald , who died of a heart attack in 1940 , by twenty-four years . He recalled his first impressions of the book , compared to his feelings in his older age : « It was strange for Sara ( Gerald ’ s wife — Ed .) and myself to be reading this novel . Sara disliked it there and then and could never reconcile with it . I have recently reread it — for the first time since it was published . And I must say it did seem quite nice to me . All the conversations and events were taking me back to what we experienced on the Riviera — our pastime , our discussions , our quarrels . But , as Sara said then : ” Mr . Fitzgerald does not know much about people . And absolutely nothing about Gerald and myself ”.» It wasn ’ t just the Murphy ’ s who had taken issue with the outcome of the novel . Ge rald Murphy and Ernest Hemingway ( who had been « discovered » by Fitzgerald when he was working for a Toronto newspaper and introduced the novice writer to his agent and editor , Maxwell Perkins ) hinted to Fitzgerald that towards the end of his novel he had distorted the once very recognizable characters from the first chapters . Fitzgerald ’ s response both acknowledged and dismissed their concerns : « My book is a fruit of inspiration , and the source of inspiration are yourself , Dick , and your wife Sara . This is how I see you and your life , and the second half of the book is all about me and Zelda . And this is all because me and Zelda are actually you and Sara ...»
The evolution of the Riviera
Towards the end of the 18th century , the once desolate land from Saint- Tropez to the French-Italian border , where the tanned fishermen and lean olive oil makers barely made ends meet , transformed into a privileged holiday destination of the British aristocracy . This happened thanks to the travel notes of Englishman Tobias Smolett , dated 1765 . The rumour of fantastic sunsets and the warm breezes of Nice and Cannes spread all over Europe starting the overwhelming mass of « British patients » ( a Scottish physician John Brown recommended the « free moving air » to all his consumption patients ). Less than a century later , in the 1850s , the Prince of Monaco , Charles III , together with a French entrepreneur François Blanc opened a casino in Monte-Carlo . That ’ s when treasures of the famous European houses , including the Rothschild clan , started flowing into the Riviera . The name of « La Côte d ’ Azur » was adopted for this strip of paradise in 1887 , thanks to the French poet and politician , Stéphen François Emile Liégeard , who published a book by that title . By the early 1920s , the French Riviera was changing again . The catastrophe of the First World War plummeted the European economies , making the dollar a strong currency , and flooded the Côte d ’ Azur with a joyful crowd of Americans . The young « Yankees » came to discover new trends in European art and science … and a new lifestyle .
Setting the scene
Mr . Gerald Clery Murphy was the son of an industrial tycoon from Boston , and owner of the Mark Cross Company trading in genuine leather products . Back at Yale University where Gerald was only admitted on his third attempt , he met a young musician Cole Porter , who composed such jazz masterpieces as « I love you », « Night and Day » and « Begin the Beguine ». Gerald introduced Cole to the elite DKE circle ; a student organization whose mission ( to this day ) is enlightening highly educated gentlemen . That ’ s when Gerald came up with the noble idea of creating a community of progressive artists , writers and musicians with the help of his father ’ s wealth .
Gerald and Sara Murphy later in life , in 1963
Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald with her daughter Scottie
In 1921 , Gerald and his wife Sara ( née Wiborg , daughter of American « ink king » Frank Wiborg ) move to Paris from « stuffy » New York . Both Murphy and Wiborg ’ s families had disapproved of their marriage , mainly because Sara was five years his senior . During Diaghilev ’ s « Russian season » in Paris , the Murphys volunteered to help with the decorations for « Scheherazade », « Pulcinella » and other productions . They met most of their European acquaintances during these performances . They eventually bought a small villa with an exotic garden in Antibes and named it Villa America . The Murphy ’ s legendary New York style hospitality attracted such figures as Pablo Picasso , Fernand Léger , Ernest Hemingway , Jean Cocteau , Archibald MacLeish , and Igor Stravinsky . In the spring of 1924 , Gerald and Sara become friends with the Fitzgerald couple .
I have to stand out in everything that I do … I must assert myself … I cannot live without being loved , act without being praised …
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Hello Monaco Spring – Summer 2018 / 85