Laurence Vail
Laurence Vail was a multifaceted American novelist, poet, painter, and sculptor, notable for his contributions to modernist literature and avant-garde visual art. His writing, characterized by surrealistic prose, showcases his experimentation with language and unique narrative structures, reflecting the broader modernist movement that emerged in the early 20th century. Vail's two published novels, *Piri and I* (1923) and *Murder! Murder!* (1931), incorporate autobiographical elements within surreal plots, with the former drawing inspiration from the innovative styles of contemporaries like James Joyce. Beyond literature, Vail was also an accomplished painter and sculptor, influenced by his artistic upbringing and education in both America and France.
Socially active during the 1920s, Vail became known as the "King of Montparnasse," a title reflecting his vibrant lifestyle in the Parisian art scene. His marriage to Peggy Guggenheim provided financial stability, allowing him to pursue his artistic ambitions, though their relationship ended as he began a significant partnership with writer Kay Boyle. Vail's life was marked by a blend of creativity, personal exploration, and a rich cultural milieu, making him a noteworthy figure in the landscape of modernism. Despite the rarity of his published works, his influence persists in the realms of both literature and art.
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Subject Terms
Laurence Vail
Writer
- Born: January 28, 1891
- Birthplace: Paris, France
- Died: April 16, 1968
- Place of death: Cannes, France
Biography
Novelist, poet, painter, and sculptor Laurence Vail’s prose has been described as surrealistic; his visual art is categorized as avant-garde. Vail’s pursuit of personal subjects, his experimentation with diction, form, and style, as well as his friendships with such modernist writers as Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, and Ezra Pound during his creative period in the 1920’s and 1930’s influenced the development of modernism.
Modernism, an international movement in the arts from 1900 to 1950, celebrated the nuances of the artist’s interpretations of reality that developed as a result of a break with traditional forms in art and literature. Modernist writers used unique imagery and sparse language to express sometimes irrational patterns in the human mind.
Vail’s novels, which are now very rare, include Piri and I, published in 1923, and Murder! Murder!, published in 1931. Piri and I demonstrates Vail’s experimentation with language in the mode of James Joyce. He continued the creative use of language in Murder! Murder!. Each novel has autobiographical elements hidden in a surrealistic plot structure. Although Vail only published two novels, according to Kay Boyle, his second wife, he destroyed seven or eight manuscripts.
Vail published poems and contributed to periodicals including Dial, Poetry, and transition. With roots in both America and in France, Vail thought like an American but lived like a Frenchman. His father, Eugene Lawrence Vail, was a successful painter who educated his son during summers spent together in Venice or the French Alps. Vail studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and at the Art Students’ League in New York, and earned a doctorate in history from Cambridge.
Vail served in the United States Army during World War I as an officer in the Corps of Interpreters. He later used his language skills as a translator of French and German in his 1930 publication of The Life of Madame Roland, his 1931 publication of On the Make, and his 1932 publication of Bubu of Montparnasse. He was as famous for his lifestyle as he was for his writing and art. His active social life earned him the title of King of Montparnasse after the neighborhood in Paris where he enjoyed life in the early 1920’s.
In 1922, Vail became the first husband of American art collector Peggy Guggenheim. The marriage provided him with financial security that freed him to begin a writing career. Their marriage disintegrated shortly after Vail met Kay Boyle in 1928 at the Coupole in France and began a relationship with Boyle that lasted until 1941, when they divorced. Vail spent the years during World War II in America, but returned to France following the war.