Babel: Littératures Plurielles (Dec 2021)
A few British and American writers in Toulon and the Var department in the 1920s and 1930s
Abstract
The French Riviera or Côte d’Azur stretches from Marseille to the Italian border and has traditionally attracted a good many British and American writers, most of whom concentrated in and around Nice, Cannes, Menton, Antibes, Vence, namely the eastern end of the coast. Nevertheless, Toulon and the Var area should not be overlooked as they hosted many a brilliant author, in particular such neighbouring seaside resorts as Hyères and Le Lavandou to the East of Toulon, Sanary and Bandol to the west. Inevitably, Toulon, being a larger town and a naval base, was, and still is, a convenient stopping place for travellers driving along the coast, and an essential one for people outside Toulon who had to do some shopping, go to the doctor’s, remember Aldous Huxley, visit the brothels (Evelyn Waugh was a regular) or opium dens like Cocteau and so many others. Joseph Conrad, Edith Wharton, Paul Bourget, Katherine Mansfield, D.H. Lawrence, Huxley, among many others, Ford Madox last but not least, have stayed in the Toulon area where they found inspiration, beauty and warmth. This can be felt throughout their works, in their personal achievements, and I am convinced that their confrontation with the local atmosphere and landscapes has contributed to their art and literary production.
