Jed Kiley
Jed Kiley was a journalist and author with a diverse career that spanned reporting, business, and writing. After graduating from St. Viator College and studying at the University of Wisconsin, he began his journalism career with the Chicago Examiner and the Chicago Tribune. Kiley served in the National Guard before becoming an ambulance driver in France during World War I and later joined the U.S. Army. Post-war, he worked for the European edition of the New York Herald and found success as a nightclub owner in Montmartre, operating venues like Kiley's and the College Inn.
Kiley made significant contributions to the literary world, notably publishing works by prominent authors such as Sinclair Lewis and Ernest Hemingway. His memoir, "Hemingway: An Old Friend Remembers," detailing his experiences with Hemingway, garnered him the most fame, though it sparked controversy over its accuracy. Hemingway himself criticized Kiley's recounting of their friendship, leading to tensions between the two. Kiley's writing style was heavily influenced by Hemingway, and his attempts to mimic it both amused and irritated readers. As a member of the Lost Generation, Kiley's work reflects the complexities of post-war American expatriate life in Europe, showcasing both admiration and rivalry within literary circles.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Jed Kiley
Writer
- Born: June 10, 1889
- Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
- Died: May 14, 1962
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Journalist and author Jed Kiley attended St. Viator College in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Upon graduation, he studied at the University of Wisconsin. As a young man, Kiley worked as a reporter for the Chicago Examiner and the Chicago Tribune. In 1916, he joined the National Guard. Kiley later joined the American Field Service as an ambulance driver in France before joining the U.S. Army during World War I.
Following his discharge form the army in 1918, Kiley returned to his career as a journalist and worked for the European edition of the New York Herald, known as the Paris Herald. While living in Paris, Kiley developed his talent as a businessman by providing entertainment for members of the American military who resided in Paris. He later became an ice-cream manufacturer for a brief period of time before beginning a successful career as a nightclub owner. In Montmartre, he first opened Kiley’s and then operated the College Inn.
Kiley continued working as a journalist, contributing to and editing for the Boulevardier, edited by Arthur Moss. When New York’s stock market crash came in 1929 and took with it Kiley’s American customers at the nightclubs, he closed up shop and accepted an offer from Hollywood to work as a screenwriter, an offer that had been extended because of the success of some of Kiley’s Boulevardier stories. While working for the Boulevardier, Kiley had been involved in publishing the works of Sinclair Lewis, Louis Bromfield, and Ernest Hemingway. It was his memoir of author Ernest Hemingway titled Hemingway: An Old Friend Remembers that brought Kiley his greatest fame.
Kiley submitted multiple parts of the memoir to Playboy Magazine before it was published in book form. The book recounts Kiley’s encounters with Hemingway throughout the 1930’s and 1940’s in Paris, New York, Key West, and Cuba at the rise of Hemingway’s popularity. However, many—including an angry Hemingway, himself—questioned and criticized the veracity of some of Kiley’s recollections. When Hemingway reviewed the manuscript of the memoir, he became so upset with what he felt were misrepresentations that he denied that he had ever been a friend of Kiley.
As a member of the Lost Generation, those disillusioned American writers who remained in Europe after World War I, Kiley adopted a writing style unabashedly close to Ernest Hemingway’s style. Kiley’s willingness to mock his attempts at imitation amused readers. Hemingway acknowledged the attempts when he criticized Kiley’s work by telling Kiley that he should decide whether he was a writer or a proprietor and then do the job well. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Kiley’s writing is a testimony to Hemingway’s talent.