《爱情是这个样子的-蒙巴那斯的吉吉》蒙巴那斯的吉吉-第13章

ay　wrote；　〃about　as　close　as　people　get　nowadays　to　being　a　queen　but　that；　of　course；　is　very　different　from　being　a　lady。〃
hemingways　words　e　from　his　preface　to　kikis　memoirs；　written　in　1929　when　she　was　just　28。　there　is　clearly　something　to　be　said　for　writing　memoirs　when　young：　along　with　kikis；　the　liveliest　evocation　of　the　period　is　john　glasscos　〃memoirs　of　montparnasse；〃　pleted　when　he　was　23　and　thought；　wrongly；　that　he　was　dying　from　tuberculosis。　〃the　celebrated　kiki〃　was　one　of　the　first　locals　he　met。
〃her　maquillage　was　a　work　of　art　in　itself　…　her　mouth　painted　a　deep　scarlet　that　emphasized　the　sly　erotic　humor　of　its　contours；〃　glassco　wrote。　〃her　face　was　beautiful　from　every　angle；　but　i　liked　it　best　in　full　profile；　when　it　had　the　lineal　purity　of　a　stuffed　salmon。〃
kiki　was　painted　by　soutine；　modigliani；　foujita　and　kisling　and　most　famously　photographed　by　man　ray；　whose　lover　she　was　for　eight　stormy　years。　she　sang　bawdy　songs　in　nightclubs；　showed　her　naive　paintings　at　what　the　paris　edition　of　the　chicago　tribune　called　〃the　most　successful　vernissage　of　the　year；〃　and　in　1929　was　named　queen　of　montparnasse。
the　memoirs　she　wrote　that　year　were　republished　this　spring　in　paris　by　hazan　（an　american　edition　came　out　last　year）　in　a　richly　illustrated　edition　piled　by　billy　kluver；　who　was　a　student　in　paris　when　kiki　died　in　1953　and　remembers　the　newspaper　pictures　of　foujita　and　other　artists　gathered　at　her　deathbed。　the　new　york　times　printed　an　obituary　and　life　magazine　gave　kiki　three　pages；　ending　with　a　memory　from　one　of　her　chums；　〃we　laughed；　my　god　how　we　laughed。〃
born　alice　ernestine　prin　in　burgundy；　kiki　had　a　wretched　childhood　that　could　only　lead　to　laughter　or　despair；　and　being　solid　and　brave　she　chose　laughter。　her　parents　were　unmarried；　her　mother；　a　linotypist；　went　to　paris　and　left　kiki　with　her　grandmother；　whom　she　adored。　she　didnt　learn　much　in　school；　she　wrote；　because　her　teacher　disliked　the　poor　and　when；　at　12；　she　was　obliged　to　join　her　mother　in　paris　to　find　work；　she　boarded　the　train　with　a　sausage　and　red　wine　〃to　show　off　and　to　hide　my　sorrow。〃
harsh；　degrading　jobs　followed；　lightened　by　her　lifelong　joy　in　decorating　herself。　she　would　crumble　a　petal　from　her　mothers　fake　geraniums　to　give　color　to　her　cheeks　and　was　fired　from　a　nasty　job　at　a　bakery　because　she　darkened　her　eyebrows　with　burnt　matchsticks。
with　her　large　and　splendid　body　she　drifted　into　posing　for　artists；　including　utrillo　who；　to　her　astonishment　when　she　looked　at　his　canvas；　had　painted　a　landscape。　she　was　also　doing　such　menial　jobs　as　dishwashing。　〃i　was　so　filled　with　gaiety　that　i　wasnt　affected　by　my　poverty　and　words　like　the　blues　were　like　hebrew　to　me　—　i　simply　didnt　understand　them。〃
large　in　spirit　and；　increasingly；　in　girth　as　man　rays　photos　over　the　years　show；　kiki　was　a　natural　for　montparnasse；　but　even　naturals　can　use　help；　she　moved　in　with　an　amiable　journalist　named　henri　broca　after　breaking　up　with　man　ray　in　1929。
djuna　barnes　had　already　described　kiki　for　an　american　magazine；　〃charm；〃　in　1924；　and　local　english…language　newspapers　regularly　recorded　her　activities；　broca　created　a　little　news　magazine；　〃paris…montparnasse；〃　and　published　the　first　chapters　of　her　memoirs。
edward　titus；　who　had　a　small　publishing　house　in　paris　and　had　just　published　〃lady　chatterleys　lover；〃　hired　samuel　putnam　to　translate　kikis　memoirs。　bennett　cerf　of　random　house　ordered　150　copies；　which　were　seized　by　american　customs　officers。　even　today；　kluver　says；　the　memoirs　are　kept　in　a　special　reserve　section　of　the　new　york　public　library。
it　is　hard　to　see　why。　they　are　filled　with　a　buoyant　innocence；　not　naive　but　generous。　her　shamelessness　meant　that　she　remained　simple；　not　that　she　was　corrupt。　〃all　i　need　in　life　is　an　onion；　a　bit　of　bread　and　a　bottle　of　red　wine；　and　ill　always　find　someone　to　give　me　that；〃　she　said　late　in　life。
her　memoirs　tell　of　her　squalid　childhood；　the　early　days　in　montparnasse　when　〃papa〃　libion；　the　otherwise　lovable　owner　of　la　rotonde　refused　her　entrance　to　the　cafés　main　room　because　she　didnt　have　a　hat。　she　quickly　invented　a　conical　cap　and　became　one　of　libions　favorites。
〃i　had　found　my　real　milieu；〃　she　wrote。　〃the　painters　adopted　me。　finished；　sadness。　sometimes　i　didnt　have　enough　to　eat　but　the　jokes　made　me　forget　all　that。〃
in　1923　she　spent　three　months　in　new　york；　bewildered　by　the　local　habit　of　drinking　booze　from　teacups　—　she　doesnt　seem　to　have　heard　of　prohibition　—　and　hoping　for　a　film　contract。　however；　on　the　day　of　her　paramount　test；　she　realized　she　had　forgotten　her　b　and　never　showed　up。　〃its　for　the　best；〃　she　remarked　typically。　〃its　much　nicer　to　go　to　the　movies　than　to　make　them。〃
two　years　later；　in　scandalous　villefranche；　where　homosexuals　and　local　tarts　peted　for　visiting　sailors　（〃cocteau　and　i　had　the　same　passion　for　all　that　es　from　the　sea；〃　she　delicately　noted）；　she　slugged　a　café　owner　and　a　policeman　and　was　put　in　the　pokey。　she　got　a　suspended　sentence；　when　man　ray　arrived　with　funds　to　pay　the　fine；　a　medical　certificate　stating　she　was　of　nervous　disposition；　and　letters　from　aragon　and　desnos　saying　she　was　a　serious　artist。
thereafter　she　seems　to　have　stayed　in　montparnasse　where；　she　wrote；　〃people　are　broadminded　and　where　what　would　be　crime　elsewhere　is　just　a　peccadillo。〃　in　her　later　years　she　roamed　the　cafés；　singing　in　a　cracked　voice　and　cadging　drinks。　even　in　poverty；　she　visited　elderly　hospital　patients　to　bring　them　cheer　and　what　gifts　she　could　find。
by　the　early　1950s　ronald　searle　sketched　her　in　a　café；　a　diminished　figure　with　straggly　hair　and；　worse；　terribly　thin。　only　her　steeply　canted　nose　（〃she　had　a　wonderful　nose　that　seemed　to　jut　out　into　space；〃　said　alexander　calder；　who　portrayed　it　in　a　wire　sculpture　called　〃kikis　nose〃）　suggested　the　former　kiki。　in　1953；　she　collapsed　outside　her　flat　on　the　rue　brea　in　the　heart　of　montparnasse；　and　died。
her　cheerful　carnality　remained　a　symbol　of　the　golden　age　of　montparnasse；　even　to　the　distinguished　scholar　leon　ede