Bohemia: A Day in the Life

Bohemia: A Day in the Life:

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Daytime: Everyone would be up by seven or eight in the morning to begin "work" on art, poetry, literature, or whatever was their passion. As Houssaye commented, "Inspiration is a goddess who keeps early hours." (Knepler, 33) Sometimes they would try to help inspiration along with opium or hashish, but usually cigars or cigarettes served well enough. The way in which Houssaye described a typical working day is now a classic image of bohemia: several men crowded into one room, laboring over what he hoped would be a future masterpiece. "One was writing by the fireplace, the other sitting in a hammock; Theo, always caressing his cats, wrote his chapters lying on his belly; Gerard, always elusive, came and went with the vague unrest of someone who is looking for something without finding it. Beauvoir appeared now and then with his burning rhymes." (Knepler, 30) Some of Houssaye's friends spent their days painting, and one would set sonnets to music. These work periods were not designed to be productive; bohemians who were living together seemed to spend much of their day interacting and enjoying one another's company. Houssaye describes these sessions as being joyful and happy, for he was doing what he loved with people he considered dear friends. "Everyday was a real feast for heart and mind. It was a gay harmony of men at work." (Knepler, 29)

Nighttime: The nights were reserved for pure amusement. As Houssaye described, "In the evening we did not fall asleep at our books. We went all over Paris, the old Paris and the new." (Knepler, 31) They would make their way to the cafes were they would converse, dance, and more than likely seek out the company of women. Men would socialize with women, often grisettes, but their ultimate goal was often casual sexual encounters.