The Lost Generation

Robert Cohn was once a middleweight boxing champion of Princeton.

Do not think that I'm very much impressed by that as a boxing title,

but it meant a lot to Cohn.

There was a certain inner comfort in knowing he could knock down anyone who was

snooty to him. Although being very shy and a thoroughly nice boy,

never fought except in the gym.

Robert Cohn was a member, through his father, of one of the richest families in

New York and through his mother, one of the oldest, he was a nice boy,

a friendly boy, and very shy. When he came out of Princeton,

he was married to the first girl who was nice to him. He was married five years,

had three children, lost most of the $50,000

his father left him - the balance of the state

having gone to his mother. When he had made up his mind to leave his wife,

she left him. Her departure was a very healthful shock.

In California, he fell among literary people

and had become sole editor of a magazine.

It was his money and he discovered he liked the authority of editing.

He had been taken in hand by a lady who hoped to rise with a magazine.

When she saw that the magazine was not going to rise,

she became a little disgusted with Cohn and decided she might as well get what

she was there to get while there was still something available.

So she urged they travel so Cohn could write. During these years,

the first spent in travel, the last two here, Robert Cohn had two friends,

Braddocks and myself. Braddocks was his literary friend. I was his tennis friend.

The lady who had him, her name was Francis,

found towards the end of the second year that her looks were going and her

attitude towards Robert changed from one of careless possession and exploitation

to absolute determination that he should marry her. During this time,

Robert's mother had settled an allowance on him. During two and a half years

I do not believe Robert had looked at another woman.

He wrote a novel and it was not really such a bad novel as critics later called it

although it was a very poor novel,

I first became aware of his lady's attitude towards him one night after the

three of us had dined together.

What don't we fly to Strasbourg?

We can walk up to Saint Odile or somewhere or other in Alsace.

I know an American girl there who can show us the town.

She's been there two years and knows everything there is to know about the town.

She's a swell girl.

Hell,

why go to Strasbourg? We can go up to Bruges or to the Ardennes.

Anyways, I must be going.

Hold on, Jake, I'll walk with you to the corner.

I have to get the paper.

For God's sake, Jake, why'd you have to speak about that girl from Strasbourg for?

Didn't you see Francis?

No. Why should I? If I know an American girl from Strasbourg,

what the hell is it to Francis? - Doesn't make a difference.

Any girl. I couldn't go. That would be all.

Don't be silly.

You don't know Francis. Any girl at all. Didn't you see the way she looked?

Oh, well, let's go to Senlis.

Jake

- Are you sore? - I'm not sore. Senlis is a great place.

We can stay at the Grand Cerf, go hiking in the woods and come home.

Good. That'll be fine.

Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow at the courts.

Goodnight, Jake.

You forgot to get your paper.

That's so.

Jake, are you okay?

- You're not sore. - No. What should I be?

See you at the courts.

That winter, Robert went over to America with his novel

and it was accepted by a fairly good publisher.

I think that's where Francis lost him because

several women were nice to him in New York

and when he came back he was quite changed. He was not in love yet,

but he realised that there was an

attractive quantity he had to women and that

the fact of a woman caring for him, of wanting to live with him, was not simply a

divine miracle. This changed him so that he was not pleasant to have around.

He had held cards and won several hundred dollars,

which made him rather vain in his bridge game. He talked several times that

A man can make a living from bridge he was ever forced to.

Then there was another thing. He'd been reading W. H. Hudson.

That sounds like an innocent occupation,

but Cohn had read and reread The Purple Land.

The Purple Land is a very sinister book if read too late in life.

It was all that was needed to set him off.

I did not realise the extent to which it had set him off until one day he came

into my office.

Robert, did you come to cheer me up?

Would you want to go to South America, Jake?

No.

- Why not? - I don't know.

Haven't really thought about it. It's too expensive.

You can see all the South Americans you want here anyway.

They're not the real South Americans.

They look pretty real to me.

- Do you know any dirt? - No.

None of your exalted connections getting divorces?

No. Listen, Jake, if I can handle the expenses for the both of us,

- Would you come to South America with me? - Why me?

Well, you speak Spanish and we'll have more fun the two of us.

No.

I like this town and I go to Spain in the summertime,

But I've been waiting my whole life for a trip like this

and I'll be too old before I can do anything.

Don't be a fool. You've got plenty of money and you can go anywhere you want.

Yeah, I know.

But I just don't know when to get started.

Cheer up. All the countries look like the YouTube videos anyway.

I can't stand to think that my life's gone so fast and haven't really lived it.

No one lives their life all the way up except maybe for Bullfighters.

I'm not interested in bullfighters. Jake.

That's an abnormal life and I want to get to that country in South America.

We could have a great trip.

Why don't you go to British East Africa to shoot?

No, I wouldn't like that.

- I'd go there with you. - No, it doesn't interest me.

Well, that's because you've never read a book about it.

You know, the love affairs with the beautiful women there.

I want to go to South America.

Come on downstairs for a drink.

- Aren't you working? - No.

That was the best way of getting rid of friends. Once you had a drink,

all you had to say was,

Well, I've got to go back and send off some emails and it was done.

It is very important to discover graceful exits like that in the newspaper business

where it is such an important part of the ethics

that you should never seem to be working.

This is nice here.

There's plenty of liquor.

Listen, Jake

Do you ever get the feeling that your whole life's gone by

and you haven't really taken advantage of it?

Do you realise that you've lived nearly half

your life that you've had to live already?

No. I haven't really thought about it.

Do you realise that in 35 years or more we will all be dead?

What the hell, man?

- What the hell? - I'm being serious.

- No, I haven't really thought about it. - Well, you ought to.

I've had so much to worry about one point or another, I'm through worrying.

Well, I want to get to South America.

Listen, mate

You can't get away from yourself jumping from one place to the next.

There's nothing to that. I've tried all that. It just doesn't work.

But you haven't been to South America.

South America, hell. If you went to South America the way you're feeling now,

it would be exactly the same.

But I can't stand it here. I can't stand the quarter.

Well, get away from the quarter.

Get out and see what happens to you.

Nothing happens to me.

I went for a walk the other night, all alone,

and nothing happened except this bicycle cop

stopped me and he asked for my licence.

Well, wasn't the town nice wandering around at night?

No, I don't care for the town.

Look, I've got to get back and send some emails off.

Do you really have to go?

Yeah, I've got to get them done.

Do you mind if I come up and hang around the office?

No. Come on up.

Okay. I'll just chill here for maybe a couple of hours

Can't do it.

Can't do it.

Can't do it. Nothing will make me do it.

Robert.

Was I talking out loud just then?

Something but it wasn't clear.

God.

That was a rotten dream.

Did the keyboard put you to sleep?

I guess so. I didn't sleep at all last night.

What was the matter?

Talking.

Come on.

What would you like to drink?

Pernod.

That's not good for little girls.

Little girl yourself. Get me the pernod.

I'll have a pernod too.

What's the matter? You going to the party?

Sure. Aren't you?

I don't know. You never know with this town.

You don't like it here?

No.

Then why don't you go somewhere else?

Isn't anywhere else.

You're happy, all right.

Happy? Please.

Well, aren't you going to buy me dinner?

What are you called?

Georgette. How are you called?

Jacob.

You Flemand?

Australian.

You're not Flamand?

Good. I detest the Flamand.

Who are your friends?

Writers and artists.

Lots of those across the river.

Too many.

Still, they make the money.

Oh yeah.

Oh darling. I need a drink.

- What about you? - Leave it to me.