Hemingway
to Cash
By Karin Leperi
A
rkansas usually is shortshifted when it comes to
recognizing cultural
geniuses of the past. What
most Americans do not
realize is that Ernest Hemingway
came to Arkansas via his second
wife Pauline Pfeiffer. In the 1930s,
Pauline’s parents converted the barn
on their property into a place where
Hemingway could write while
visiting. He completed parts of
A Farewell to Arms and several short
stories here. Johnny Cash and his
family moved from Kingsland to
Dyess, Arkansas in the 1935, and
occupied a house in the Dyess colony
through 1953. Arkansas was the
influence and roots of his budding
beginnings as a musician and singer.
When we think of one of America’s
literary greats - Ernest Hemingway
- a genius of staccato phrasing and
the short story, one of the greatest
writers of the 20th century, seldom
do we evoke a vision of Hemingway
in Arkansas. Yet this is where he
penned one of his greatest works,
A Farewell to Arms.
Nor do we think of Arkansas when
we hum Johnny Cash’s famous songs,
“I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Blues” or
“Ring of Fire.” But we should. For
Dyess, Arkansas is where the future
singer and song writer spent his
impressionable years growing up.
The Dyess Colony was part of a
Roosevelt experiment designed to
provide homes and jobs to poor farm
families during the Great Depression.
And though the Cash family worked
hard and had little, Johnny Cash
remembers a childhood that
was happy.
While Ernest Hemingway was not a
native son, Johnny Cash was born
and raised in Arkansas. Nevertheless,
both spent significant time in
Arkansas and both were influenced
by their Arkansas life. To put it
succinctly: Arkansas impacted both
men, and it was reflected in their
writings and their songs.
Hemingway’s forgotten haven
Original piano that belonged to
Johnny's mother is on display in his
boyhood home
106
Piggott, Arkansas is a long way from
nowhere; You have to want to go
there as you won’t accidentally
stumble upon it. Located in the
upper part of northeast Arkansas,
about 10 miles from the Missouri
border, you can expect about a
Hemingway’s desk
and chair
three-hour drive if you are coming
from Little Rock. However, any fan
of Hemingway will find that it is well
worth the journey.
The Pfeiffer House, located at Tenth
and Cherry Streets, belonged to
Hemingway’s wealthy in-laws, Paul
and Mary Pfeiffer. Their daughter
Pauline was Hemingway’s second
wife, once a good friend to both
Hemingway and his first wife. He
was married to Pauline from 1927
to 1940, and during this time the
couple frequently came to stay at
the white house estate.
In addition to coming from a wealthy
family, Pauline came with quite a set
of credentials. Graduating from the
Missouri School of Journalism in
1918, she worked for the Cleveland
Press and Vanity Fair in New York
before accepting a job as editor for
the Paris Bureau of Vogue Magazine.
She met Hemingway and his first
wife Hadley in 1925 at a party
in Paris.
So that Hemingway would feel at
home and could be productive during
his time in Piggott, the Pfeiffers
converted the red carriage house
on their property into a working
apartment and studio for him. Here
he could have the privacy he required
to write. And write he did. During his
time he would pen his famous A
ALL PHOTOS ARE BY KARIN LEPERI
Arkansas Literary
and Musical Past